National
Sonia asked Chidambram to shield Tehelka’s financiers: Jaya Jaitly
New Delhi, Nov 6 (IANS) Former Samata Party president Jaya Jaitly has accused the Congress of having a hand in the Tehelka sting ‘Operation West End’, which led to then Defence Minister George Fernandes’ resignation and that when UPA was in power, Congress President Sonia Gandhi had asked then Finance Minister P. Chidambram to ensure that Tehelka’s alleged financiers are not treated in an “unfair” or “unjust” manner.
Jaitly has made these claims in her upcoming autobiography “Life among the Scorpions: Memoirs of a Woman in Indian Politics”, which is due to be released on Tuesday.
Informed sources have confirmed that Jaitly has presented a copy of the letter in the book. It also has a copy of a two-page letter from First Global, the alleged financiers of Tehelka, petitioning Sonia Gandhi, the then Chairperson of National Advisory Council.
In the autobiography published by Rupa, Jaitly also recalls that when Fernandes insisted on resigning, then Union Ministers L.K. Advani and Jaswant Singh advised against it. Soon after, Jaswant Singh brought the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s message to the Defence Minister, accepting his resignation.
“George Fernandes was only too eager to oblige,” she says. However, Jaitly was miffed that she had also been asked to resign as Samata Party chief by Vajpayee, while she had made her stand clear in her own party that she had done nothing wrong and would not resign.
She also claims that the Congress, which was then in Opposition, was the ultimate beneficiary of the sting by Tehelka, which allegedly received hawala funds.
Jaitly also recounts her experiences during the investigations under the Commission of Inquiry, instituted after the Tehelka sting. When the matter was suddenly and arbitrarily sent to a court, she says she feared that the judge, who convicted former BJP president Bangaru Laxman of bribery and was hearing her case too, would eventually convict her irrespective of her arguments.
In the book, Jaitly further recollects her meeting with alleged arms middleman Christian Michel, and how he bragged about helping Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao to spy on Sonia Gandhi and then went on to offer her an opportunity to make a “huge pile of money” for her party.
In the context of her revelations on how defence deals are done in India, Jaitly mentions a meeting with an unnamed senior Congressman where he informed her that people were willing to pay “twenty lakh rupees to have a cup of tea” with her. When she asked him why, he explained that “it cuts the competition”.
This, according to the book, was during the first NDA Government and Fernandes the Defence Minister.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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