Two-G (2G) Spectrum Scam Tapes and follow-up

[Pranav]

Who are the palyers of teh Space scam? Who is MG Chandrasekhar? And what or who is Devas?

To me it looks like a few bureaucarts thought why not us and launched this one. On other hand it could be an Indian initiative to supplant the sat phones used by TSP terrorists i.e. "Thuraya" system run from Dubai.

So it could be sour grapes being revealed now.

There are foreign investors in Devas.

In 2008, Deutsche Telekom picked up 17 per cent stake in Devas for about $75 million. Columbia Capital and Telcom Ventures are the other international investors. The board of directors includes Kiran Karnik, a former President of Nasscom; Larry Babio, a former vice-chairman of Verizon, and Gary Parsons, a former Chairman of XM Sirius Satellite. ... It has clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for 74 per cent foreign direct investment.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/a ... 162745.ece

[anmol]

Devas Multimedia Pvt. Ltd. (Devas), an Indian company headquartered in Bangalore, was founded in 2004 by a team of successful satellite entrepreneurs and executives. Devas has led indigenous innovation in the arena of satellite communications and technologies to establish a next-generation national satellite system that provides vital services to the masses and government agencies across India. The Devas system is uniquely capable of delivering applications for rural development, e-governance, emergency communications, remote connectivity, and strategic services.

http://www.devasmedia.com/

Management Team :-
Dr. M.G. Chandrasekhar, Chairman
GeoEye; WorldSpace; ISRO
Dr. Chandrasekhar has served over 35 years in various facets of Satellite Services with senior positions held in private industry as well as the Indian Government. Prior to Devas, he was heading the International Asian Sales division of GeoEye, a leading satellite imaging company providing secure geo-spatial data to the US Government (2005-2006). Prior to GeoEye, Dr. Chandrasekhar was COO, WorldSpace, a pioneer in Digital Satellite Radio and MD WorldSpace India (1998-2005).
Prior to WorldSpace, Dr. Chandrasekhar served as Scientific Secretary and Member of Apex Management Council, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) (1988-1997). Prior to that, he joined ISRO in 1973 and held various senior techno-managerial positions and played a key role in developing IRS and INSAT programmes and operating its fleet of satellites. Dr. Chandrasekhar is a distinguished fellow of numerous academies including IAA (International Academy of Astronautics), INAE (Indian National Academy of Engineering), National Academy of Sciences of India and Distinguished Fellow of IETE (Indian Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineers). He is also the recipient of numerous awards including Sir C. V. Raman national award, Vikram Sarabhai award, and Astronautical Society of India award. He holds a PhD in Satellite Engineering, M.Tech in Industrial Electronics, and B.E. in Electrical Engineering.



Ramachandran Viswanathan, President and CEO
Forge Advisors; Cidera; WorldSpace; McKinsey & Co; Goldman Sachs & Co.

D. Venugopal, Chief Technology Officer
WorldSpace; Space Applications Centre, ISRO; VSNL

Paresh Shah, Chief Business Development Officer
Forge Advisors; Cidera; Aether Technologies; Monitor; Northrop Grumman.

Augusto Pellarini, Chief Financial Officer
Deutsche Telekom AG; T-Mobile International AG; Arthur Andersen Business Consulting GmbH; Struktur & Management Partner GmbH; Borgers AG.

Dr. Mukund Rao, Associate President Business Development & Marketing
ESRI India; Navayuga Spatial Technologies; NNRMS Programme ISRO

Kari Lehtinen, Vice President System Architecture and Terminal Engineering
Modeo; Crown Castle; Nokia

Ron Olexa, Vice President System and RF Engineering
Wireless Implementation LLC; Advanced Radio Telecom; Superconduction Core Technologies; Dial Call; PacTel Cellular/AirTouch; Los Angeles Cellular; LIN Broadcasting

Raj Sanmugalingam, Vice President IT Systems and Operations
MCI Communications; Cidera; Saudi Telecom; EMC Consulting (Sprint, Nextel, Verizon)

Hari Lunayach, Vice President Network Infrastructure and Operations
Fiber Tower Corp; CTA; LCC; Indian Air Force

Board of Directors :-

Dr. M.G. Chandrasekhar, Chairman

Dr. Chandrasekhar has served over 35 years in various facets of Satellite Services with senior positions held in private industry as well as the Indian Government. Prior to Devas, he was heading the International Asian Sales division of GeoEye, a leading satellite imaging company providing secure geo-spatial data to the US Government (2005-2006). Prior to GeoEye, Dr. Chandrasekhar was COO, WorldSpace, a pioneer in Digital Satellite Radio and MD WorldSpace India (1998-2005).
Prior to WorldSpace, Dr. Chandrasekhar served as Scientific Secretary and Member of Apex Management Council, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) (1988-1997). Prior to that, he joined ISRO in 1973 and held various senior techno-managerial positions and played a key role in developing IRS and INSAT programmes and operating its fleet of satellites. Dr. Chandrasekhar is a distinguished fellow of numerous academies including IAA (International Academy of Astronautics), INAE (Indian National Academy of Engineering), National Academy of Sciences of India and Distinguished Fellow of IETE (Indian Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineers). He is also the recipient of numerous awards including Sir C. V. Raman national award, Vikram Sarabhai award, and Astronautical Society of India award. He holds a PhD in Satellite Engineering, M.Tech in Industrial Electronics, and B.E. in Electrical Engineering.



Ramachandran Viswanathan, President and CEO

Mr. Viswanathan has over 20 years in executive roles with Internet and Satellite Communications companies launching new products and services. Prior to Devas, he was the Managing Director of Forge Advisors, a strategic consultancy and venture capital/technology incubator (2002 onwards). Prior to Forge Advisors he served as Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer, Cidera, a leader in Broadband Internet Content Distribution (1999-2002); Prior to Cidera, he was Senior Vice President, Strategy & Marketing at WorldSpace, a pioneer in Digital Satellite Radio (1997-2000); Prior to WorldSpace, Mr. Viswanathan was at McKinsey & Company, a global strategic management consultancy firm (1990-1997); He has also held positions at Goldman Sachs, a top-tier investment banking and management firm. Mr. Viswanathan is a fellow of several academies including IAA (International Academy of Astronautics), IETE (Institution of Electronics and Telecommunications Engineers) and BES. He holds an MBA, MIT Sloan School of Management in Finance & Marketing; M.S., Stanford University in Engineering; and B.S., University of Maryland in Electrical Engineering & Economics.




D. Venugopal, Chief Technology Officer

Mr. Venugopal has over 30 years of experience in the Communications and Satellite industry. Prior to Devas, Mr. Venugopal was Vice President, Operations at WorldSpace India, a pioneer in Digital Satellite Radio (1998-2004). While at WorldSpace, he led the development of emerging satellite-based applications and technologies, including mobile platforms and deployment of audio broadcast services in India. Prior to WorldSpace, Mr. Venugopal was Deputy Director, Satellite Communication Programme in Headquarters of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) (1989-1998) and served as System Engineer in Space Application Center, ISRO (1980-1989). Prior to ISRO, Mr. Venugopal was Deputy Engineer-in-Charge at Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (1977-1980). He holds a M.S. Communications Engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur.



Dr. Rajendra Singh, Telcom Ventures LLC
Dr. Rajendra Singh is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Telcom Ventures. Dr. Singh is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of LCC International and a member of the Board of Directors of several other companies in the wireless industry. Dr. Singh has played an instrumental role in the satellite and wireless industry by developing key standards used today in wireless system design and methodology. Dr. Singh received his Doctorate Degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University in 1980 and his Bachelors Degree from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. Dr. Singh has a distinguished record of academic achievements beginning with his doctoral dissertation, Spectrum Efficient Schemes for Mobile Radio Communications, which was published in 1980. Dr. Singh is a former member of the faculty of Kansas State University and City College of New York, and is a member of various electrical engineering societies. Dr. Singh has numerous patents to his credit. Dr. Singh is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni award from IIT Kanpur where he has established a Chair in the Department of Engineering.



Arun Gupta, Columbia Capital LLC
Mr. Gupta joined Columbia Capital in 2000 and focuses on Internet/media, wireless, and enterprise technology/services opportunities. Prior to joining Columbia Capital, he was at Carlyle Venture Partners focused on software and technology investments. Earlier, Mr. Gupta held positions in Arthur D. Little’s (ADL) telecom and technology consulting practice and shared responsibility for establishing ADL’s operation in India. He received a B.S. degree with Distinction in Electrical Engineering, an M.S. degree in Engineering Economics from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.



Kevin Copp, Deutsche Telekom AG
Mr. Copp serves as Executive Vice President, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions of Deutsche Telekom and is responsible for its corporate development activities worldwide. Mr. Copp has been with Deutsche Telekom since 1995. He serves as Chief Financial Officer of OTE Group. Mr. Copp served as Group Chief Financial Officer of Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA since August 1, 2009. He served as Head of International Legal Affairs of Deutsche Telekom. He has been an Executive Director of Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA since June 2009. Mr. Copp holds a Juris Doctorate from Catholic University and a B.A. in Foreign Languages from West Chester University, Pennsylvania.



Kiran Karnik, Director

A. Murugappan, Director
Mr. Murugappan oversees the institutional business of ICICI Securities comprising Investment Banking and Institutional Brokerage. In the year 2007, the Investment Banking division participated in the over Rs.280 Crore of funds raised through public issues, making it Number One in the league tables and one of the leading domestic brokerages. Mr. Murugappan is a Cambridge educated lawyer with over 13 years experience in stock broking, investment banking and private equity in UK and India.



Gary Parsons, Director
Mr. Parsons served as Chairman of XM Satellite’s Board of Directors since May 1997, a pioneering and successful hybrid-satellite radio company in the United States. Mr. Parsons was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Motient Corporation / SkyTerra, a leading next-generation hybrid mobile satellite services company since March 1998. He joined Motient Corporation in July 1996 and served as its Chief Executive Officer and President. Previously, Mr. Parsons was with MCI Communications Corporation, one of the major long distance and data services telecommunications providers, where he served in a variety of roles from 1990 to 1996, including Executive VP of MCI Communications and Chief Executive Officer of MCImetro, Inc. From 1984 to 1990, Mr. Parsons was one of the principals of Telecom*USA, which was acquired by MCI.



Larry Babbio, Director
Mr. Babbio is former Vice Chairman and President of Verizon, the largest telecommunications operator in the United States. Since 2007, he has been a senior adviser to Warburg Pincus, a private equity firm with over Rs 140,300 Crore under management. Mr. Babbio began his communications career with New Jersey Bell Telephone. He served in a variety of positions in engineering, network construction, and technology development with New Jersey Bell and AT&T. He was then elected Vice Chairman of Bell Atlantic Corporation. Under his leadership, Bell Atlantic substantially increased the size and scope of its US and international wireless holdings. Mr. Babbio also serves as a Board Member in Hewlett Packard and ARAMARK. He holds a B.E. in Electrical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, and an M.B.A. from New York University.



V. R. Katti, Director (Nominee of Antrix/ISRO)

Shyam Tandon, Director
Educationalist

Sameer Karwa, Director
Industrialist

ISRO SPECTRUM DEAL HAS UNION CABINET NOD
8 Feb 2011
From Our Delhi Bureau

NEW DELHI: Hyperactive Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, busy rescuing the
UPA government in the 2G scam ever since he took over after A Raja
resigned in November, finds himself caught up in another spectrum scam
of the Indian Space Research Organisation's gift of 70Mhz dirt cheap
in 2005 to its former officer that is now turning out to be a Rs
2-lakh crore scam.

He was part of the Space Commission as a member in his capacity then
as the minister of state for science and technology that cleared the
deal. And, it was his note on which the deal was sealed with the Union
Cabinet's nod back in 2005. The Cabinet Secretary, then National
Security Adviser (NSA) M K Narayanan, now West Bengal Governor, and
the ISRO chairman were the other members of the Space Commission.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cannot wash off his hands in this
scandal as he not only chairs the cabinet meetings but he was also
briefed by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar last year on need to
cancel the ISRO's deal at a ridiculously low price of Rs 1000 crores
in view of the huge sums of Rs 1.06 lakh crores received in auction of
the 3G spectrum.

He also heads the Department of Space (DoS) that did not order
cancellation of the ISRO's contract with the Bangalore-based Devas
Multimedia Private Limited headed by ISRO's former scientific advisor
Dr M.G. Chandrasekhar even after getting an opinion from the Law
Ministry last year in response to the Cabinet Secretary's query that
ISRO is within its rights to cancel the contract signed on its behalf
by its commercial arm Antrix Corporation with Devas.

Sibal may also have to explain why the Department of Telecom (DoT) is
sitting over a recommendation of the regulator TRAI (Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India) last May to allow review of the usage
of the spectrum available with various government agencies to enable
it to schedule release of spectrum to the telecom sector for speedier
rollout of the telecom and broadband services in the country.

DoT is the custodian of the spectrum or airways in India and an
estimated 55 per cent of the available 1,161 Mhz spectrum is with the
government agencies including DoS and Defence Ministry.

Though the government may act fast to scuttle the Devas contract to
wriggle out of the direct charges levelled by the Opposition on the
Prime Minister for the scam that is bigger than the irregularities in
the 2G spectrum allocation, it cannot shut off the reality of Davos
attracting huge investments from abroad alike the telcom players
buying 2G airways cheap and selling them at huge profits.

The catch in the Devas contract is that the company can offload the
excess spectrum with it to others if it is not able to utilise all
70Mhz and there is bound to be a huge race among the private telecom
operators to seize part of it instead of knocking doors of DoT all the
time for access to more spectrum.

While Devas offloaded its 36749 shares worth US $75 million to
Singapore-based Deutsche Telekom Asia Pte Ltd, it also took other
investors, many from the tax heaven Mauritius that launders the
Indians' black money received through havala and ploughs it back in
the name of the companies that can be easily registered in that
country.

Two Mauritius-based companies -- CC/Devas (Mauritius) Ltd and Telecom
Devas Mauritius Ltd were issued 15730 convertible cumulative
preferential shares each on March 16, 2006 at a huge premium of Rs
21445.82 for the shares with equity value of Rs 10 each, only few
months after the company got the scarce spectrum. These two Mauritius
companies were further allotted 15,619 shares each in three tranches.

The balance sheet of Devas Multimedia shows that its capital shot up
eight times in only three years from Rs 67.5 crores on March 31, 2007
to Rs 578.82 crores in 2010. In fact, the capital investment went up
by Rs 123 crores in just one year between 2009 and 2010.

Since after allotment of the scarce S-band spectrum, that was once
used by Doordarshan for serving remote areas through satellite, the
company raised several hundred crores and even made investments in
mutual funds and financial institutions.

An interesting alibi from Antrix Corporation Limited that made the
deal with Devas which also includes use of two satellites to be
launched specifically for it is that ISRO was burdened with unused
S-band spectrum that was vacated by Doordarshan and it readily agreed
to give 70 Mhz from it to Devas that approached it. It argues that no
other company had approached it as otherwise they too would have been
given the spectrum instead of letting it lie idle. What an excuse!
Source: http://rajagopalan1951.blogspot.com/201 ... binet.html

[Muppalla]

Folks, you got it all from this blog. Kapil Sibal is cornered in this one along with PM. Let us see how the drama will unfold if at all there is any reasoning in the public discourse. The target was alway MMS. He missed it on 2G but they came with another missile now. This one even swallows Kapil Sibal.

http://rajagopalan1951.blogspot.com/201 ... binet.html

NEW DELHI: Hyperactive Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, busy rescuing theUPA government in the 2G scam ever since he took over after A Raja resigned in November, finds himself caught up in another spectrum scam of the Indian Space Research Organisation's gift of 70Mhz dirt cheap in 2005 to its former officer that is now turning out to be a Rs 2-lakh crore scam.

He was part of the Space Commission as a member in his capacity then as the minister of state for science and technology that cleared the deal. And, it was his note on which the deal was sealed with the Union Cabinet's nod back in 2005. The Cabinet Secretary, then National Security Adviser (NSA) M K Narayanan, now West Bengal Governor, and the ISRO chairman were the other members of the Space Commission.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cannot wash off his hands in this scandal as he not only chairs the cabinet meetings but he was also briefed by Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar last year on need to cancel the ISRO's deal at a ridiculously low price of Rs 1000 crores in view of the huge sums of Rs 1.06 lakh crores received in auction of the 3G spectrum.

He also heads the Department of Space (DoS) that did not order cancellation of the ISRO's contract with the Bangalore-based Devas Multimedia Private Limited headed by ISRO's former scientific advisor Dr M.G. Chandrasekhar even after getting an opinion from the Law Ministry last year in response to the Cabinet Secretary's query that ISRO is within its rights to cancel the contract signed on its behalf by its commercial arm Antrix Corporation with Devas.

Sibal may also have to explain why the Department of Telecom (DoT) is sitting over a recommendation of the regulator TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) last May to allow review of the usage of the spectrum available with various government agencies to enable it to schedule release of spectrum to the telecom sector for speedier rollout of the telecom and broadband services in the country.

DoT is the custodian of the spectrum or airways in India and an estimated 55 per cent of the available 1,161 Mhz spectrum is with the government agencies including DoS and Defence Ministry.

Though the government may act fast to scuttle the Devas contract to wriggle out of the direct charges levelled by the Opposition on the Prime Minister for the scam that is bigger than the irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation, it cannot shut off the reality of Davos attracting huge investments from abroad alike the telcom players buying 2G airways cheap and selling them at huge profits.

The catch in the Devas contract is that the company can offload the excess spectrum with it to others if it is not able to utilise all 70Mhz and there is bound to be a huge race among the private telecom operators to seize part of it instead of knocking doors of DoT all the time for access to more spectrum.

While Devas offloaded its 36749 shares worth US $75 million to Singapore-based Deutsche Telekom Asia Pte Ltd, it also took other investors, many from the tax heaven Mauritius that launders the Indians' black money received through havala and ploughs it back in the name of the companies that can be easily registered in that country.

Two Mauritius-based companies -- CC/Devas (Mauritius) Ltd and Telecom Devas Mauritius Ltd were issued 15730 convertible cumulative preferential shares each on March 16, 2006 at a huge premium of Rs 21445.82 for the shares with equity value of Rs 10 each, only few months after the company got the scarce spectrum. These two Mauritius companies were further allotted 15,619 shares each in three tranches.

The balance sheet of Devas Multimedia shows that its capital shot up eight times in only three years from Rs 67.5 crores on March 31, 2007 to Rs 578.82 crores in 2010. In fact, the capital investment went up by Rs 123 crores in just one year between 2009 and 2010.

Since after allotment of the scarce S-band spectrum, that was once used by Doordarshan for serving remote areas through satellite, the company raised several hundred crores and even made investments in mutual funds and financial institutions.

An interesting alibi from Antrix Corporation Limited that made the deal with Devas which also includes use of two satellites to be launched specifically for it is that ISRO was burdened with unused S-band spectrum that was vacated by Doordarshan and it readily agreed to give 70 Mhz from it to Devas that approached it. It argues that no other company had approached it as otherwise they too would have been given the spectrum instead of letting it lie idle. What an excuse!

[Muppalla]

another tweet for the same person above:

Vijay Anand Chief Vigilance Officer of ISRO was the whistleblower of Devas S band scam.His 24 pages notes against Devas is now with CVC.

[ramana]

So a bunch of technocrats decided why don't we also loot the country as UPA doesn't care anyway to guard the resources. And this time its all within INC purvey and cant be blamed on coalition politics. So with what audacity did MMS demand Raja be fired when he had himself allowed a bigger loot of the country?

Wasnt the old saying "Three fingers are pointed at yourself when you point an accusing finger at others!"

[munna]

After scamming the sports, civic infrastructure, airwaves, food commodities and finally space I wonder when will we start auctioning our states away? You know some of our states can make good countries if we sell them to foreign people who have a stake in it. Why not start with the North (damn these jhandawalas) and slowly sell our way down to South. That way rest of the country will have increasingly fast growth rates and we shall construct number of toilets if laid end to end stretching to mars and back.

On a serious note this spurt of sell out reminds me of a royal family in whose regime by ancestors were high ups. Diamonds, palaces, antiques and valuables were under custody of different members and all of them sold whatever they could lay their hands on. How a proud clan was reduced to being scavengers of priceless heritage! I feel like one of them to see my nation being sold bit by bit.

[ramana]

Actually the Mughal durbar sold of Bengal to East India company.

[munna]

Actually the Mughal durbar sold of Bengal to East India company.

Yes Ramanaji and how about Kashmir for UNSC Seat without Veto for a Rump India? Interesting times we live in....

[Prem]

MMS is becoming the Disaster King/Singh of Delhi Darbar. He wont loot but let everyone loot the Country.

[Chinmayanand]

MMS is becoming the Disaster King/Singh of Delhi Darbar. He wont loot but let everyone loot the Country.

How do you know?

[RamaY]

So a bunch of technocrats decided why don't we also loot the country as UPA doesn't care anyway to guard the resources. And this time its all within INC purvey and cant be blamed on coalition politics. So with what audacity did MMS demand Raja be fired when he had himself allowed a bigger loot of the country?

Wasnt the old saying "Three fingers are pointed at yourself when you point an accusing finger at others!"

Ramana garu, babudom is deeply involved in this.

Per chaiwala sources, YSR's modus-operandi in mining scams and land scams was to get
- NGRI to identify potential resource rich areas
- Use NMDC (state arms) to conduct geographical surveys
- Use Land revenue officers to identify govt.lands
- Create benami companies
- Make the benami companies to announce SEZs
- Allocate resource rich lands at govt rates
- Force the contractors to buy the shares at inflated prices so the original promoters become rich, regally


that is why YSJ is immune to most of corruption charges.

[Muppalla]

This is the strongest jhappad so far for MMS. It could be either from Pranab Da or from Sonia system. We do not yet have all the information. The only probable escape route is that the deal is not yet signed and hence they may escape saying that the negotiations are still on and there is no deal. However, how did it get into CAG? That is also a surprise.

Now MMS has to release some 2G spice that could pin down both Gandhis and MuKa. TN election is going to be fun.

[Muppalla]

folks - Help needed. The two interviews of Arun Shourie with Arnab and also I guess on CNN-IBN needs to be collected and posted here. It seems they brought back vintage Shourie. It is all over twitter but without links.

[munna]

http://ibnlive.in.com//videos/142795/newsmaker-of-the-day-arun-shourie.html

Here you go Muppallaji. Shourie ji ripped football sized holes through a lot of vested interests and in a language that my ears were thirsting for since past 6 years. Note the comment on Brajesh Mishra and the Eagle Eye of ABV on his ministers vis a vis the empire in decline kind of management of the cabinet under current dispensation.

[Venkarl]

ISRO terminatiiiiiiiiing contract with Devas on spectrum

ISRO was in the process of terminaaatiiinnnnggggg this contract with Devas since July 2010

[ramana]

What is taking so long?


Munna do they have text transcripts? Video is nice but can't be used for quotes.

[Venkarl]

http://ibnlive.in.com//videos/142795/newsmaker-of-the-day-arun-shourie.html

Wow..this guy rajdeep ..anyone here know/met him in person?..I mean..is he like this in real life too?..like a clueless dumbo? forget about him thinking on what Arun Shourie has said..does he even listens to him in the interview? classic example of an IDIOT.

[munna]

Munna do they have text transcripts? Video is nice but can't be used for quotes.

No transcript yet Ramanaji but some of the things I can write and quote from the video

He (Shivraj Patil, the judge) has done a sort of command performance which is very convenient to this government by not looking at the documents on record and making all sorts of strictures on previous governments and ministers

Of course he (S Patil) is doing a cover-up and this sort of non-sense works in courts and not in the court of people

Actually I want it (S Patil report) to be the basis (of debate on 2-G scam) because you will then see the perversity of this government and the perversity of a person who makes himself available to such a government to do a hatchet job like this. TRAI recommendations said "don't bid for initial six months" and this fellow says TRAI said there was to "be multi-stage bidding"

That was not Manmohan Singh's cabinet* that any minister can do anything it was the cabinet of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Anybody departing from a cabinet decision by a milimetre will out on his face with a Hawk like principle secretary Mr Brajesh Mishra

*(referring to a previous decision by NDA cabinet and S Patil's comment on it)

[Sushupti]

The way scam upon scam being unearthed against MMS reminds of last years of PVNR as PM. Atleast in the case of PVNR reasons were obvious but what MMS has done to deserve this?.

[ramana]

He is hanging on just as PVNR was. If he complete two terms he will be next to JLN in continuous tenure.

[Venkarl]

How to make a line(2g) look small?....Draw a bigger line(Sband) next to it.

[putnanja]

The way scam upon scam being unearthed against MMS reminds of last years of PVNR as PM. Atleast in the case of PVNR reasons were obvious but what MMS has done to deserve this?.

His own incompetence? He deserved it for trading his integrity for PM's job.

Can someone imagine how this would have looked like if Sonia Gandhi was the PM? Sonia is no saint like Mahatma Gandhi to give up power. She is pretty scheming politician. She wanted a honest non-controversial no mass base person to be a PM, while the congress party could make money. ergo, here comes MMS, with a super ego, and a desire to be the PM, having seen in Rao's cabinet the power the PM has. MMS by himself has no base, no money to contest elections, no MPs of his own to challenge Sonia etc. He is willing to protect the government with his honest image. So in a quid pro quo, sonia and MMS agree that the party can loot money while he will protect it with his honest image.

This actually worked pretty well for six years and is still working. Congress and Sonia got to make tons of money. People still call MMS honest.

Look at the things MMS did to further Congress looting and being in power:

1. Appointed Naveen Chawla as an EC.
2. Allowed spectrum, CWG scams etc. remember that CW games was being monitored by PMO, a point many forget
3. Allowed Raja and others to make money. Did a CYA thing by sending him a letter asking him to make the process transparent. He can now use that letter to cover his ***. But he didn't pressurize Raja on the issue. Does anyone remember the letter written by Dayanidhi Maran asking to PM to butt out of spectrum pricing issue, as it had been decided in a meeting b/w MMS and Karunanidhi?? Remember, it clearly said MMS and Karunanidhi, not congress or sonia.
4. Appointed a tainted telecom secretary who had previously opposed CVC inquiry into 2G scam as the CVC to cover up his misdeeds.


And people are saying what MMS did to deserve this??

Also, I was very disappointed when he cut off all contact with PVNR so that he could be close to SG. Karma is a bitch and is biting him back.

I am still disappointed that MMS hasn't even addressed the nation even once on all these scams, inspite of being at the center of it. Now, tell me who else apart from MMS could have pulled this off? And people call him naive with no political experience. He has learnt the art of politics from PVNR and is using it to the hilt. A worthy disciple of PVNR, though he disowned PVNR and is proving costly to the country.

[anmol]

The way scam upon scam being unearthed against MMS reminds of last years of PVNR as PM. Atleast in the case of PVNR reasons were obvious but what MMS has done to deserve this?.

What were the reasons in PVNR case ?

[Sushupti]

What were the reasons in PVNR case ?

PVNR showed middle finger to dynasty and its doggy rajas.

[Muppalla]

MMS was blaming judiciary for their activism in Hyderabad yesterday.

[ramana]

Pioneer has field day on Space spectrum scam. Also there is a move from INC guys to pin all scams on MMS onlee including Harshad Mehta one!

ISRO says no loss yet cancels the deal

I think the ISRO guys will have to resign for having facilitated this scam as a sweet heart deals for their members in Space Commission. And the fact that it was initated in 2005 shows that it was on way before scam culture took over.
Now scientists have lost their sheen and are shown tp be as bad as Raja type of politicians.

As I said before suit boot types scream the dhotiswalas are corrupt while they loot merrily.

[ramana]

What above scam means is some ISRO types were planning to spin off the excess transponder space into their own communications company. Its another thing they got favor and used it to get foreign interests to invest in their venture.

Where is the limit to this kind of crony babu capitalism.

I wonder if the 2010 review was due to the lack of success in GSLV in orbitting the GSAT leading to transponder unavialablity. Again the reasons being put forth are not very compelling.

[Muppalla]

Pioneer has field day on Space spectrum scam. Also there is a move from INC guys to pin all scams on MMS onlee including Harshad Mehta one!

This is where I suspect that MMS can pay them back with serious jhappads from which they cannot recover for several years. He has his moves up his sleeve.

He has more info about each of INC folks starting from probably 1980s.

[ramana]

ISRo's G.M. nair says

ISRO does not sell spectrum

They onlee give it away to their former officials!

It has become a habit for former officials to speak half truths by going strictly by the rule books etc. Yes ISRO doesn't sell spectrum. However current space spectrum scam has ex-ISRO officials (as mentioned in the Devas Website) and is within the Dept of Space which makes it all in the family.

[munna]

A strong and uncalibrated political leadership in Union Cabinet will reduce the power of journalists, assorted babus, industrialists and power brokers. Hence such players are hell bent on preventing ABV redux or someone >> powerful/headstrong than ABV in the saddle.

The current kleptocratic model of crony capitalism is given a veneer of "progressive" and "phorward looking" thinking to lull the electorate against generating a wave. Surely when ex-fauji, ex-secretary, ex-scientist, industrialist and journalists come all out batting for government policies it is because they know better than "rashtra" walas. Hence concede on J&K, bear food inflation, forget 26/11, pappi-jhappi to all, forget 2-G, forget Commonwealth and do not even mention Radia-gate "judgement of error ityadi".

How convenient and incidental that almost all scams discovered till date are naming the folks from that circuit. The faster credibility of such "progressives" is tattered and finished the better it is for the nation.

[niran]

self edited

[ManjaM]

ISRo's G.M. nair says

ISRO does not sell spectrum

They onlee give it away to their former officials!

It has become a habit for former officials to speak half truths by going strictly by the rule books etc. Yes ISRO doesn't sell spectrum. However current space spectrum scam has ex-ISRO officials (as mentioned in the Devas Website) and is within the Dept of Space which makes it all in the family.

Ramana ji,

Devas was founded by Ex ISRO person MGC. MGC managed through various allurements and high promises to get S band spectrum via 12 transponders alloted to himself. Apparently he sold ISRO officers dreams off a revolution similar to what ISRO brought about with its Sat TV reaching villages and small towns. He has thrown parties etc but source says that no actual money has changed hands into ISRO employee hands. Devas made money by sub leasing out this spectrum to others. As a matter of policy, S band is not for commercial exploitation and rules were broken here. Apparently, this was realised internally within ISRO a while ago and audits and disciplinary proceedings are on to find and punish the persons who sshowed lapse in judgement. CAG is also looking into this.
In fact after realising this, work on the 2 satellites that were supposed to carry the transponders have slowed down and almost stopped for the last 6 months till this is resolved. For the officials involved, this is really bad timing. UPA is under pressure to do something, they will surely nail some backsides high on the wall. Might end up being some ISRO officer who is guilty of stupidity more than corruption. Anyhow, result is to be seen.

[ramana]

Well they will be more cautious in future before saying "Yes PM!"

I am sorry I have no sympathy for scientists in scams. Its expected of the politicians but not them. Let them hang.

They had a certain prestige and aura cultivated by Sarabhai to enure an eliteness for ISRO. The nation cheered them in their success and wept at their failures. But to scam the very nation is not cricket.

[ManjaM]

Pioneer has field day on Space spectrum scam. Also there is a move from INC guys to pin all scams on MMS onlee including Harshad Mehta one!

ISRO says no loss yet cancels the deal

I think the ISRO guys will have to resign for having facilitated this scam as a sweet heart deals for their members in Space Commission. And the fact that it was initated in 2005 shows that it was on way before scam culture took over.
Now scientists have lost their sheen and are shown tp be as bad as Raja type of politicians.

As I said before suit boot types scream the dhotiswalas are corrupt while they loot merrily.

Ramanaji, there are more stories about how the top level jarnails in antriksha bhavan make their futures secure and comfy. It is through sweet heart deals mostly through retirement homes like NIAS(i woont go into more details), but doesnt involve money transfer ala Raja or Koda. these guys are rocket scientists, they are too smart for all that.

[ManjaM]

They had a certain prestige and aura cultivated by Sarabhai to enure an eliteness for ISRO. The nation cheered them in their success and wept at their failures. But to scam the very nation is not cricket.

I agree. All I am saying is that the persons should be accused of stupidity, not of avarice. ISRO has an aura to it, which should be guarded zealously by its employees like its their own maryada. Anyhow, hope the fog gets cleared up. ISRO has a controller, an IAS appointee, and such things have to go through the controller. AFAIK, every controller is pretty by-the-book. I couldnt get more answers from source about how far the decision making went. There must be a thorough investigation about this.

[munna]

I agree. All I am saying is that the persons should be accused of stupidity, not of avarice

Ahh..like a famous error of judgement argument? Wonder why are suddenly people resorting to "innocent mistakes", "stupidity not malice" and "I don't know onlee???" kind of explanations regarding open loot of national resources. I am sorry but being a superstitious yindoo I tend to believe in anything and put it on a divine status. I treated a lot of sections of our rashtra as "divine" and "demi-gods" but after all this now I seriously want my money back. Nothing against your message/argument/ logic but just that these episodes have left far too a bitter taste in the mouth. Not done, definitely not done sir!

[Venkarl]

folks - Help needed. The two interviews of Arun Shourie with Arnab and also I guess on CNN-IBN needs to be collected and posted here. It seems they brought back vintage Shourie. It is all over twitter but without links.

Excl: Should Shourie explain now?

[ManjaM]

I agree. All I am saying is that the persons should be accused of stupidity, not of avarice

Ahh..like a famous error of judgement argument? Wonder why are suddenly people resorting to "innocent mistakes", "stupidity not malice" and "I don't know onlee???" kind of explanations regarding open loot of national resources. I am sorry but being a superstitious yindoo I tend to believe in anything and put it on a divine status. I treated a lot of sections of our rashtra as "divine" and "demi-gods" but after all this now I seriously want my money back. Nothing against your message/argument/ logic but just that these episodes have left far too a bitter taste in the mouth. Not done, definitely not done sir!

Arre Munna Mian,

I am not defending anyone here. This "error of judgement" thing is cliched in light of the umpteen scandals that the haramis have done, but this is what i am told has happened. Thats why i wanted to know how far up the chain, approvals for this S band allocation went, but i didnt get answers. S band is not meant for commercial exploitation but for national usage. So the deal was wrong to start off with. Illegal deals do not go through with only department level support. Who has approved on paper and who approved in principle etc needs to be uncovered by a thorough investigation. What role has PMO in this? All needs to be investigated.
2 lakh crores hasnt exchanged hands. The minions will be satisfied with parties in 5 star hotels. The jarnails might need a position in Devas after retirement with a large sign on bonus. Who knows? We need an investigation.

[munna]

^^ Nothing on you Manja Veere! I am pained by such arguments emanating from "sources", they should be aware that public is aware about their level of intelligence.

[ramana]

ManjaM, The Pioneer (BJP supporter) thinks its Prithviraj Chavan, MoS level approval if not the PM. Offcourse he denies it.