Raja aide shares information on Radia involvement

A former aide of jailed former communications minister A. Raja on Wednesday told a special court hearing the 2G spectrum allocation case that he knows from his personal knowledge that Kalaignar TV was on the bouquet of channels on Tata Sky service. Aseervatham Achary told Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Special Judge OP Saini that corporate lobbyist Niira Radia wanted him to convey a message to Raja, a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader, about Kalaignar TV.He said that Raja had told him that Kalaignar TV was a propaganda organ of the DMK party.Achary, former additional private secretary of Raja and a key witness of the CBI in the 2G case, said this during his cross-examination before Judge Saini. “Ok, tell him (Raja) that I have sorted out his Kalaignar problem. That Kalaignar TV problem,” Achary said, recalling his telephonic conversation with Radia.He added that he did not know what the specific problem was. He said that he did not know the name of Kalaignar TV’s MD.The witness said that he was not aware if his name came to the notice of the CBI through former telecom secretary DS Mathur.He said he did not meet Mathur during investigation and the CBI never confronted him with Mathur.On being asked by Kanimozhi’s counsel, Ram Jethmalani, why he had not volunteered himself to help the investigating agency probing 2G scam, Achary said: “I was of the view that unless I was being called by an investigating agency it was not proper for me to appear before it.”Achary added that he came to know from newspaper that the Central Vigilance Committee was also inquiring into matter.Achary said that he found it unusual that he was called to the camp office of Raja on Nov. 2, 2007 after 8 pm, minutes after he had reached his residence after work.“Raja told me that he had received a letter from the prime minister then, for which reply was to be sent,” Achary said, adding that he was not aware of the urgency. The number of individuals accused in the case now stands at 19, while the companies against which charges have been framed add up to six.