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Bangaru,
Jaya Jaitley can be prosecuted: experts
New Delhi, March 14
The ‘chori chori, chupke
chupke’ recording have created a ‘tehelka’ in political
circles. And the government is busy battling out the political
repercussions of the exposure. Former BJP president Bangaru Laxman,
Samata Party chief Jaya Jaitley and others face a daunting task as
they might have to fight the battle in the courtroom too.
Ex-BJP
president preferred dollars
New Delhi, March 14
The surreptitious revelations by
Internet news portal tehelka.com has brought into light the role of
influential ruling party functionaries in the day-to-day functioning
of the government.
Who
Gupta, says RSS; Samata disowns Jain
New Delhi March 14
Within 24 hours of it being
dragged into the defence deal scandal by a news portal, the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh today tried to dissociate from the controversy
claiming that R.K. Gupta, described by tehelka as a national trustee
of the RSS, was in no way connected with the sangh.
NDA
must go: Congress
New Delhi, March 14
Demanding resignation of the
government on moral grounds on the alleged defence scam, the Congress
today said the future of the nation was not safe in the hands of a
government which was ridden with corruption.
Cong
men attack BJP office
New Delhi, March 14
Two BJP workers and a
correspondent of the All India Radio were injured when several
Congress activists allegedly attacked the BJP office on the Ashoka
Road, pelting them with stones, setting ablaze hoardings and demanding
dismissal of the NDA government in the wake of tehelka.com.
Nobody
will quit: NDA
New Delhi, March 14
Putting up a brave face and a united front, the National Democratic
Alliance today decided to take the Opposition headlong, rejecting its
demand of the regination of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and
Defence Minister George Fernandes.
Pandemonium
in state assemblies
Patna, March 14
The pre-lunch session of the
Bihar Assembly was adjourned amid din created by the ruling RJD and
Left parties demanding resignation of Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee and Defence Minister George Fernandes over alleged corruption
charges in defence deals exposed by tehelka.com.
DAY 3
Resignations
of George, Mamata, Panja accepted
Trinamool withdraws support;
Jaya Jaitley steps down as Samata chief
New Delhi, March 15
The BJP-Led National Democratic Alliance government received a further
jolt today when the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, resigned
tonight within hours of the Trinamool Congress walking out of the
ruling alliance following the sensational expose made by tehelka.com
alleging malpractices in the defence deals in a video tape brought out
by it.
I
didn’t take any gift, says Addl Secy
New Delhi, March 15
Additional Secretary L.M. Mehta, the seniormost official in the
Defence Ministry to figure in the Tehelka tapes, today claimed that he
had not received any gift nor issued any order for trial evaluation of
hand-held thermals.
Cong
ready for pact with Mamata
New Delhi, March 15
The Congress today said it was ready to enter into an alliance with
the Trinamool Congress following the latter’s withdrawal from the
National Democratic Alliance.
‘Tehelka’
outside Parliament
New Delhi, March 15
An unrelenting Opposition today continued with its protests over the
revelations in the video clippings brought out by a dotcom company and
stalled the proceedings in both the Houses of Parliament, forcing
adjournment for the day without transacting any business.
Basu
heads People’s Front
New Delhi, March 15
The erstwhile United Front was resurrected as the People’s Front
today with the political climate hotting up following the withdrawal
of support by the Trinamool Congress to the Vajpayee government, which
is shrouded in the ‘arms deal’ video tape infamy.
Army,
ministry begin probe
New Delhi, March 15
The Army and the Defence Ministry
today began investigations, recording the statements of officers who
figured in the Tehelka tapes, and there was every indication that the
government wanted the inquiry to be completed within a week.
DAY 4
PM
orders judicial probe into expose
New Delhi, March 16
The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, today ordered an inquiry
by a sitting or retired Judge of the Supreme Court into allegations of
corruption at high places in defence deals. Addressing the nation on
Doordarshan, three days after the website, tehelka.com, came out with
the expose, the Prime Minister said the inquiry would be completed
within four months to get to the bottom of the truth.
NDA
leaders close ranks
Fernandes remains convener;
Brajesh Mishra to stay
New Delhi, March 16
Shaken leaders of the National Democratic Alliance today closed ranks
to express solidarity with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari
Vajpayee, retained Mr George Fernandes as its convener and recommended
a probe into the Tehelka disclosure by a sitting Supreme Court Judge.
Slogans,
abuses in Parliament
New Delhi, March 16
Parliament proceedings continued to remain disrupted for the third day
today despite the resignation of Defence Minister George Fernandes and
other leaders with a determined Opposition demanding the resignation
of the government.
Army
officers yet to report to HQ
New Delhi, March 16
Even as the Court of Inquiry set
up by the Army was all set to begin its investigations into the
alleged corruption in defence deals and the involvement of its senior
officers, the four officers summoned by the Army Headquarters were
still to report in Delhi.
Home
Ministry to issue notice to Tehelka scribe
New Delhi, March 16
The Home Ministry is issuing a
legal notice to a reporter of tehelka.com asking him either to retract
or face consequence for his statement putting the Union Home Ministry
in a scandal pertaining to border fencing.
DAY 5
Tehelka
calls it witchhunt; Centre denies
New Delhi, March 17
Days after throwing the entire
government into a tizzy, Internet news portal, tehelka.com today
charged the government with initiating a “scandalous campaign”
against the organisation and ordering a probe against the company even
as the Centre denied having ordered any investigation.
Raise
standards of probity, Vajpayee tells Army
New Delhi, March 17
A day after addressing the nation on disclosures made in the tehelka tapes and
the government’s plan of action, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today
urged the armed forces to raise the standards of probity, transparency and
accountability.
NDA
has lost right to rule : CPI
Hyderabad, March 17
The CPI today demanded immediate
resignation of the NDA Government at the Centre in the wake of the Tehelka.com
expose.
Govt
ready to face trust vote: Advani
New Delhi, March 17
Home Minister L.K. Advani today said the
government was ready for a confidence vote and a full-fledged debate in
Parliament on the corruption charges in defence deals if the Opposition so
desired.
DAY 6
RSS
blames PMO for crisis
New Delhi, March 18
RSS chief K.S. Sudarshan today held “incompetent persons” in the
Prime Minister’s Office responsible for the crisis triggered off by
the Tehelka expose. Talking to newspersons on the concluding day of the
three-day session of the RSS Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha, Mr
Sudarshan said the Sangh had told the government time and again not to
have incompetent persons in the PMO.
Jaswant
gets Defence too
New Delhi, March 18
The External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, was today given
additional charge of the Ministry of Defence which fell vacant following
the resignation of Mr George Fernandes in the aftermath of the expose by
tehelka.com.
George
may sue; go ahead says tehelka
New Delhi, March 18
Labelling Tehelka tapes as “manipulated and concocted” Former
Defence Minister George Fernandes today said he was considering taking
web portal tehelka.com to court on charges of defamation and libel.
Army
begins probe today
New Delhi, March 18
The Army will tomorrow begin its
formal investigations into the allegations made by the tehelka.com in
its video tapes regarding corruption in defence deals and involvement of
senior officers, with possibility of other senior officers other than
those involved, being asked to depose before the inquiry committee.
Sonia
afraid of probe: BJP
New Delhi, March 18
Bharatiya Janata Party acting
President K. Jana Krishnamurthi today accused the Congress President of
opposing a judicial inquiry into the tehelka.com expose because “she
is afraid that the truth will come out”.
DAY 7
Cong
announces nationwide stir
No plan to move trust motion
New Delhi, March 19
The Congress today announced a
countrywide multi-phase action plan to pressurise the Vajpayee
government to resign over the expose of alleged corruption in defence
deals.
PM’s
men plead not guilty
New Delhi, March 19
In an unprecedented move, the top officials in the Prime Minister’s
Office, Mr Brajesh Mishra and Mr N.K. Singh, today pleaded not guilty to
the charges levelled against them in the secret tapes of tehelka.com.
Ex-SC
judge to hold probe
New Delhi, March 19
Chief Justice of India A.S. Anand
today conveyed to the government that he was not in a position to spare
the services of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court for the probe into
Tehelka expose but would choose a retired judge for the purpose.
Samata
men to resume work
Nitish, others withdraw
resignations
New Delhi, March 19
The partners of the National Democratic Alliance government with the BJP
in the vanguard have taken to the offensive in blunting the countrywide
action plan of the Congress to dislodge the corrupt and shameful union
government which proved to be a damp squib.
Standoff
in LS, RS continues
New Delhi, March 19
An unrelenting Opposition, demanding the resignation of the Vajpayee
government over the Tehelka expose, today stalled proceedings in both
Houses of Parliament, causing their adjournment for the day.
Govt
rushes through business in House
New Delhi, March 19
The government today sought to get through with some business in the Lok
Sabha despite the Opposition’s stepped up campaign for Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s resignation in the wake of the defense
corruption scandal that broke last week.
BJP
executive to meet on March 24
New Delhi, March 19
With fast moving political developments in the wake of the Tehelka
expose, BJP National Executive meeting is to be held here on March 24
and 25 instead of scheduled March 30 and 31 in Kolkota.
Army
begins probe
New Delhi, March 19
The Army today began investigations into the disclosures made by the
video tapes brought out by the tehelka dotcom alleging the involvement
of senior Army officers in the defence deals with the court of inquiry
beginning its work.
RSS
wants govt to continue
New Delhi, March 19
In a damage-control exercise a day after its harsh remarks on the PMO,
the RSS said today that it wanted the Vajpayee government to continue
even as it conceded that the BJP’s image had suffered in the wake of
the tehelka.com graft expose.
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