(Phone Rings)
Shankkar Aiyar: Hello. Niira Radia: Haan, you met him?
Shankkar Aiyar: Haan, I met him. So woh keh rahaa hai ki aisaa kuch hone waalaa hai nahiin. (He says nothing of the kind is going to happen) As far as he understands...they keep some portfolios... with the PM
Niira Radia: They have kept IT, Labour and.... And.. this one. IT, Telecom, Labour and Chemicals & Fertilizers. Shankkar Aiyar: Haan, Chemicals & Fertilizers...Maybe Steel also, they will keep themselves.
Niira Radia: Steel. No. No. They have not kept Steel. Shankkar Aiyar: Ok...ok...(then something inaudible, possibly to someone else in the same space)
Niira Radia: According to my Congress source Steel is not there. Chemical-Fertilizer, IT, Telecom, and... and Labour. Shankkar Aiyar: Labour. Ok, ok, ok... chalo theek hai...
Niira Radia: (interjecting) No, the thing I want to ask you is he in the house or where is he? Shankkar Aiyar: No, he is in the house only.
Niira Radia: How come Balu left? Because PM said that I don't want to give him Infrastructure. Niira Radia: The PM said.
Shankkar Aiyar: The minister hasn't told me, someone else told me. Niira Radia: What?
Shankkar Aiyar: They actually, some people here only told me, they okayed the names for ministers - jaise (like) Telecom (inaudible), IT, and then they said to Maran and T.R.Balu no for Infrastructure portfolio.
Niira Radia: So, Chemical Fertilizer is so important.
Shankkar Aiyar: But it is not Infrastructure development, na...Infrastructure ke andar jaise (Inside Infrastructure it's like) - which depends on development further... Chemical Fertilizer industry which had issues - private sector and all these things. So it doesn't have too much of a difference.
Shankar Aiyar: They don't want to give that. Baalu took it, 'How can they do like this to me' (sic)... Niira Radia: Hmmmm.
Shankkar Aiyar: That's why they are keeping Labour. Niira Radia: Hmmmm.
Shankkar Aiyar: (laughs) Niira Radia: Hmmm... so they are giving the Labour to him?
Shankkar Aiyar: He was not keen on Maran on.. Niira Radia: Who was not keen on Maran?
Shankkar Aiyar: PM.. Niira Radia: PM, na? I know that. Media is unnecessarily creating nonsense.
Niira Radia: The problem is, but the problem is that the Congress is not communicating this to DMK directly. They need to communicate this.
Shankkar Aiyar: They have communicated. Yesterday night. Niira Radia: They have communicated? Shankkar Aiyar: They have communicated yesterday.
Niira Radia: Saying what? Shankkar Aiyar: Saying that this is ok and... and...
Shankkar Aiyar: (noise still in background) That Telecom is ok. Hmmm. Ha... But we cannot give more, other Infrastructure titles because we don't want to give it to Balu and Maran.
Niira Radia: (prompts) And....?
Niira Radia: Uh huh. Shankkar Aiyar: So there is a deadlock situation on that.
Niira Radia: No. Now the question is that they have to say no to Maran and Balu, right? And give Azhagiri, Kani & Raja Shankkar Aiyar: They don't want to give them cabinet berths being a new face.
Niira Radia: Who. Congress? Male: Congress.
Niira Radia: No. no. They are giving Azhagiri Cabinet, they said it is left up to the Leader to decide that. Shankkar Aiyar: No, but they are only giving 3 na in that case.
Niira Radia: Haan. Toh Maran ko drop karnaa padega, na usko.. (Yeah so he will have to drop Maran right?) Shankkar Aiyar: Wahi problem hai naa saare ke saarii. (That's the whole problem !) Maran seems to have been offered MoS also.
Niira Radia: MoS toh di, par usne manaa kar diyaa. (They gave him MoS but he refused)
Shankkar Aiyar: Haan. Let us see (pause 2 seconds) Abhi toh (Now) I couldn't speak to boss in detail. Because so many people were inside. (unclear) and all these things (inaudible).
Shankar Aiyar: He had gone in, kehtaa hai ki baad me kuchh sulah ke baat karta hoon (He said he will take advice and then speak) Niira Radia: Hmmm...
Shankkar Aiyar: Theek hai (Alright) and once I get some more...
Niira Radia: Kani told me that the Congress has not told us clearly. They've not spelled out what they want. What they are telling us, they are telling through the media. They should meet my father and tell him directly. So it is contrary to what your ministry is saying.
Shankkar Aiyar: Ok... I got this , yesterday late evening Niira Radia: No she told me just now...
Shankkar Aiyar: (overlapping conversation) Toh theek hai, mein pata karvaataa hoon (Okay, I'll find out then). Niira Radia: Haan, because I just relayed that message to Congress
Shankkar Aiyar: Haan. Haan. Niira Radia: If they don't want Maran... (recording ends abruptly)