He knew. If I was not convinced of this I would not be sending you this note. Rajan told me a lovely raid story. As the searches were going on at his residence, the sleuths were having difficulty in finding some substantial loot. At one point, one of the inspectors asked Rajan if he could use the phone.
Permission was granted. Kuch mil nahi raha hai. The raids on Outlook evoked a measure of sympathy in the profession. It could have been more forceful, especially from the higher echelons, but I am not complaining. Khushwant Singh in his column came out in our support. So far he has proved to be only a mukhota mask , as RSS ideologue Govindacharya once said.
One reason for the ambivalence could be the extensive links Mishra, Singh and especially Bhattacharya had developed with the media. They announced the discovery of Rs 51 lakh in unaccountable cash. Again through a press release I had to set the record straight. Not Rs 51 lakh but Rs 51, had been found in the residence of an ailing relative of Rajan Raheja. The cash, Rajan explained, was kept in the house for emergency medical expenses. The lies did not bother Rajan. The harassment did. He would be summoned to the damp, piss-stinking offices of the Enforcement Directorate and made to wait from 10 am to 6 pm.
He would then be told to come again the next day. Besides, the income tax inspectors would ask for some year-old file, keep it for a while and give it back. Then they would ask for another, and another. It was clear that interrogation and examination was not the real purpose; hounding and hassling was.
Rajan asked me to see if this could be stopped. His entire group was doing nothing else but looking for files! I rang up Brajesh Mishra. He agreed to see me. When we met, he feigned surprise, even shock. I know nothing about this. Very unfortunate. You know both Atalji and I believe in press freedom. We would do nothing to harm the press. He then lectured me on the importance of a free press in a democracy. What happened next remains perhaps one of the most humiliating experiences of my life.
The raids on Outlook must have occurred due to some misunderstanding or perhaps some fault on our part! All this to butter him up for my next move. I told Brajesh I was not seeking any favour in the ongoing tax evasion investigations.
All I was asking for was an end to the harassment of my proprietor. Could he please do something? My interaction with Brajesh lasted no more than ten minutes. I shook his hand, thanked him and ran out of his room. I urgently needed fresh air to recover from his hypocritical bullshit. Yashwant Sinha made no pretence of surprise. Miraculously, in 24 hours it did.
A week later President Narayanan sent for me. The Delhi Union of Journalists resolution had been received by his office. Ranjan Bhattacharya is a businessman and a bureaucrat , famous for being the foster son-in-law of the former prime minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. His association with A. Vajpayee had been in news in the past.
Ranjan is a businessman and a bureaucrat coming from a strong background with his roots in politics also. He was born into a sound family of doctors on 28 December He is a Bengali Brahmin Hindu by caste. Wealth Wise Series How they can help in wealth creation. Honouring Exemplary Boards. Deep Dive Into Cryptocurrency. ET Markets Conclave — Cryptocurrency. Reshape Tomorrow Tomorrow is different. Let's reshape it today. Corning Gorilla Glass TougherTogether. ET India Inc. ET Engage.
ET Secure IT. Narada arrests: Mamata may gain politically, but she has to watch out for legal ramifications Despite her ministers' arrest in the seven-year-old Narada corruption sting case, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's popularity ratings may have touched an all-time high, though the fate of her government may be in the balance with Central agencies hinting at break down of law and order in the state, according to political analysts.
All News Videos Photos. Bhattacharya quietly vanished once his father-in-law lost power and faded away from the political limelight. If it weren't for the Niira Radia tapes scandal and Kejriwal, who chose to drag him back into the spotlight, it might just have been a perfect disappearing act.
Dilip Ghosh on Saturday told Roy he was free to leave the camp if he was 'upset and ashamed' over its style of functioning. Rao later said the Congress was "distorting" facts and statements and that the BJP "don't discriminate among sections of the society.
All Indians should be part of development". Firstpost Conversations 9 Months S. Home Politics News Ranjan Bhattacharya - 'the damaad' everyone forgot. Appointed an Officer on Special Duty, while his father in law was Prime Minister, Bhattacharya stuck to the shadows but quickly became known as the man to go to in the PMO, but never over stated his power and ever affable, as the Rediff columnist noted : His detractors complain he has a hand in every deal that goes through these days; from the Maruti settlement to Surjeet Singh Barnala's decision to not import sugar.
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