The allegation game between Naveen Jindal and Zee News Group has grown strong with each blaming the other for double moral standards.
Jindal Steel chairman Naveen Jindal has accused Zee News and Zee Business TV channels of demanding Rs.100 crore worth of advertisements while Zee news issued a denial and alleged that JSPL’s promoters “had offered a bribe†to “stop the aggressive coverage by Zee to uncover the scamâ€.
JSPL has filed an FIR and submitted material as evidence with the Delhi Police. Meanwhile, Zee News has stated that the complete footage submitted to the Delhi Police would reveal that JSPL was “offering bribes to the editors of the news channel†to stop the coverage.
Naveen Jindal told a press conference convened to release a purported video in support of his allegations that Zee Group’s editor had sought advertisement commitments for the channels to stop airing reports related to a coal block allocation scandal in which Jindal Steel is said to be involved.
“Sudhir Chaudhary, editor of the group, told our team they will continue to defame us if we did not agree to pay Rs.20 crore per year worth advertisements,” Jindal, a Congress MP, told reporters here.
“The initial demand of Rs.20 crore then went up to Rs.100 crore,” Jindal said.
He claimed Jindal Steel filed its complaint and the police registered the first information report (FIR) Oct 2 against Zee Group chairman Subhash Chandra, Punit Goyanka, Sudhir Chaudhry and Samir Ahluwalia.
However, Delhi Police only confirmed registering the FIR against the two channels and refused to name the people listed in Jindal group’s complaint.
Jindal said the Zee group began showing reports Sep 7 on their channels against the company owned by Jindal group, after which a team from Jindal Steel started talking to the channels.
“Initially, Zee Business and Zee News demanded Rs.20 crore from Jindal Steel in the Sep 10 meeting but in the second meeting with Jindal Steel, Sudhir Chaudhary demanded Rs.100 crore (Rs.20 crore per year),” said Jindal.
Jindal, levelling allegations against Chaudhary, said the media organisation threatened him and his company that they would continue broadcasting their reports if their demands for advertisement commitment was not made.
“After the last meeting with Sameer Ahluwalia and Sudhir Chaudhary on Sep 19 when we were not ready to give them money, the media group again started running stories on Sep 24,” he said.
On Oct 19, the media group also started accusing Jindal Steel of offering them bribes to stop airing of reports on coal block allocations, Jindal said.
“When News Broadcasters Association (NBA) called the media group for clarification, they said they organised meetings with the Jindal group for a sting operation. But they could not give proper evidences to NBA in support of their statement,” said Jindal.
Jindal also distributed to media persons the video CD showing Chaudhary purportedly making the demand.
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Noting that his company has been in business for 40 years and had never received a blackmail threat like this, Jindal said: “We decided not to succumb to the blackmail.”
Soon after the press meet began, Zee Group employees raised slogans against Jindal, claiming he was lying about the charges levelled against the channels.
After making his statements and airing the CD, Jindal left the meet without answering queries of the media, saying it was not the proper time to respond to questions.
Zee News’s Declaration
With reference to Thursday’s press conference by Mr Naveen Jindal and JSPL, I and my colleague — Samir Ahluwalia, Editor, Zee Business — condemn and completely reject the CD produced by Mr Jindal against us. We see this as a deliberate attempt to malign and to defame us.
We have been the forerunners in exposing Naveen Jindal’s double standard as a politician and industrialist in Coalgate scam. To suppress the coverage that Zee News was telecasting on Coalgate, Corporate Communications team from JSPL first tried to bribe Samir Ahluwalia with Rs25 crore, which he declined straightway.
This was an offer from JSPL to stop the coverage of Coalgate scam. Undeterred, the JSPL team offered Zee News and Zee Business an advertising deal of Rs100 crore, to somehow stop the coverage on air.
In pursuit of seeking truth in the Coalgate scam, we have had several interactions with Jindal and with his officials. He chose to display an edited/ doctored CD where only selected portions are shown. Mr Jindal has a history of unfairly targeting those who dare to confront him with the truth.
Attempts by media houses like Zee News to bring out the final truth in the Rs.1.86 lakh crore Coalgate scam are being muzzled by Mr Naveen Jindal by distorting the truth. The CAG has listed Naveen Jindal- promoted JSPL as a primary beneficiary in the Coalgate scam.
In view of the fact that similar false allegations have been made by Naveen Jindal and his officials against us in a police complaint, his press conference on Thursday afternoon is a clear subversion of the due process of law. Clearly, we see this as an attempt to prejudice and defame us and to overreach the investigation in this regard.
We see the attempt today by Naveen Jindal to come out with the video as a deliberate attempt to not only suppress us but also silence the growing demand for an independent probe in the Coalgate scam.
Zee News is undeterred by such diversionary tactics adopted by Jindal and JSPL and would stay focused on unravelling the ultimate truth in the Rs1.86 lakh crore Coalgate scam.
Sudhir Chaudhary, Editor, Zee News
Samir Ahluwalia, Editor, Zee Business
This 30 minute video shows the allegations made by Zee news
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In another development, an RTI activist from Chhattisgarh reached the venue of Jindal’s press meet and demanded that the MP be arrested for unleashing violence against him.
Ramesh Agarwal claimed he was shot at by Jindal’s security personnel July 7 at Raigarh in an attempt to kill him.
He said Jindal Steel and Power Limited senior security officer Brig. (retd.) K.K. Chopra and deputy manager S.N. Panigrahi surrendered in a Raigarh court last Friday in connection to the armed assault on him.