PGurus is starting a series on the (conveniently) not-debated portions of the controversial Niira Radia tapes. The first article is on the style of funding by Tata Group to political parties and the hypocrisy of Ratan Tata to hide it.
Ratan Tata used all his money to stop the surge of his enemy Mamta Banerjee in Lok Sabha election in 2009, in which she bagged 19 seats out of 42 in West Bengal.
Ratan Tata was a worried man after Lok Sabha elections in 2009. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) Supremo comes out with clinching evidence on Tata Group’s electoral trust funding the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI(M)) and other Left parties in West Bengal. The conversation between Ratan Tata’s Private Secretary Venkat and Niira Radia on May 29, 2009, gives the picture of how Tata Group covertly funds all political parties and their method of funding.
We start the series with this conversation, as the Country is witnessing elections in 5 states including the biggest, Uttar Pradesh. Ratan Tata used all his money to stop the surge of his enemy Mamta Banerjee in Lok Sabha election in 2009, in which she bagged 19 seats out of 42 in West Bengal. This was the beginning of the surge of TMC, which got people’s backing after its fight with the ruling CPI(M) over the Nandigram massacre. TMC then took on Tata’s Singur plant for Nano cars. After the election results, Mamta Banerjee produced some payout data and receipts of Tata-controlled Electoral Trusts’ funding to CPI(M).
The Radia tapes tell us that Ratan Tata wanted to print reports that the Electoral Trust has no relation with Tata Group. This shows how disingenuous Tata was. In this conversation between Radia and Venkat, both say all Tata Group companies’ money goes to The Electoral Trust to fund the political parties.
The payment will be in two instalments.
As per the tapes, Tata, asked one Dinesh Vyas, a Supreme Court lawyer and Trustee of The Electoral Trust to issue a statement that they have no link with Tata Group!
Another interesting thing is that Tata enters an agreement with political parties on the mode of payment. The payment will be in two installments. First one will be before polling and the second payment will be given only after the results and it will vary according to the performance by the political parties. As per the conversation between Radia and Venkat, all parties, including Sonia Gandhi agreed on this method of payments. Only CPI(M) and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not agree for this two instalment method by Tata. These parties demanded full payment before polling.
The transcripts of the conversation are published below:
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Tata’s are not honest for sure. If not why he tried to stop the tapes. It’s sure that they are funding political parties legally for their personal gains. Absolutely there is no Ethics what he talks about always. He is not that selfish like the other top Industrialist.
It is my own experience.
Very right
i think that swamy is sleeper cell of congress in BJP. SWAMY is defaming BJP.
tata group most ethical and national group of BHARAT.
RATAN TATA had done many great thing for BHARAT.
SO STOP ur dirty politics of defaming ratan tata and BJP.
Tata ethical!!!!!! Haven’t you heard his tapes of 90s financing ULFA.. Radia tapes tells us he is Rotten Tata not Ratan Tata
What’s 90’s tapes with ULFA?
Looks like lot of people are upset because article says something negative about Tatas. Because Tata’s gained Indian’s trust for so long, we think Tatas would never do anything wrong just like Gandhis.
As someone here says there Tata’s always give donations, then why Ratan Tata wants to hide his trust and fool people that “Electoral Trust” has NO relation to him while he IS the one funding?
People always think emotionally. Gullible people like that needs to be tackled ONLY thru emotions. I suggest pgurus to start article about how Ratan Tata was adopted(I know there is no logical relation) and say he is not the same blood, all these people will start believing it. Showing a solid proof is not enough for them. They need drama.
This is just slanderous. The electoral truyst run by the Tatas are one of the most transparent ways of supporting political parties. In fact the transcript above only makes it even more clear. You guys are absolutely disgusting, trying to mud sling a clean and ethical practice just because your old foggy subramaniam swamy did not get the monies he tried to extort from the tatas? What a shame!
I simply don’t understand as to What is ethically/morally wrong here ?
While transparency i.e who is funding and how much needs to be monitored+improved what is wrong in Tata fundin more to winning parties,less to those lost in elections? As long as EC/public know who is funding and the amt details to various parties it should be right no?
Infact time and again it has come out in open that it is BJP followed by Cong that is receiving dubious foreign funds and have somehow brushed it under the carpet by clever subvertion/circumvent through shameless,convenient bills/laws.
Fraud Ratan Tata wanted to publish that his Trust has no relation with his companies. This is the fraud
oh ok. thx
Yes BJP also receives dubious funds
Bharat Vibhushan for Dhirubhai Ambani and Sharad Pawar ! When Modi honours such crooks and corrupt persons one can only wonder what hold their families/ they have over him. Also what hold AJ has over Modi?
Corruption is in the life blood of most Indians . Those who are corrupt and equally responsible are those standing by idling and look to turn the other way. In the present political scenario where crooks and money reigns , where politicians of different parties are scratching each others back, India is doomed.
“Corruption is in the life blood of most Indians . ” Sorry I don’t agree. Few hundred years back, traders from other countries had highest trust with Indians. The trust is so deep, they lend stuff to father on a word that his son will pay back. And we did too.
When a society is attacked from all directions, it contracts and behaves in a mean way. Because it is now dog-eat-dog situation. With islamic plunder for 800 years then followed by british looting for 200 years and finally looting and breaking the soul of India by fake gandhis for last 65+ years brought us to this situation.
And stop this binary logic. Where “oh, there are crooks in BJP too. So both are just EXACTLY same”. You won’t reach finish line in one leap. congress filled the whole Indian political system with crooks and YES, BJP is also filled with such people. The difference is people like Swamy, Modi. At least there is a hope with these people in BJP, where as with congress , every one prostrating in front of worthless, characterless gandhis nothing can be achieved.