N.K. Singh: Real good actually. Very good philanthropic advice
Niira Radia: Laughs
N.K. Singh: No right now I'm in another fire fighting. Because I was likely shut my mind from this. Because I'm in the immediate issue of what is going to happen to Pranab Mukherjee's announcement on the tax benefit to them on the gas [full deduction under Income Tax Act for business of laying and operating cross country natural gas or crude or petroleum oil pipeline network for distribution on common carrier principle]. Given that he has withdrawn it, in a way, because he has made it applicable only for only for NLEP VIII [actually NELP—National Exploration and Licensing policy—VIII is eighth round]. Right. No, this is revenue secretary doing some degree of championship there.
Niira Radia: Right
N.K. Singh: So working out a strategy. How to get this back? One of the complications is that between you and me, Mr Arun Shourie has gone and got himself completely on the other side.
Niira Radia: Yes
N.K. Singh: Because he has been promised a Rajya Sabha (seat) by Tony [Jesudasan, Anil Ambani camp's lobbyist] and co. and I yesterday checked, yes, Samajwadi has 50% surplus votes in UP which combined with surplus votes of BJP can give the BJP an extra ticket and why should therefore BJP deny itself from getting an additional Rajya Sabha on someone else’s strength? But that’s the promise given and therefore he was very, very, very critical of this whole gas thing and said in the BJP parliamentary board meeting, day before yesterday. Now whatever he said in that meeting, day before yesterday, is one aspect. But what attitude BJP will take on this whole issue of the debate on the finance bill, which is beginning from Monday, in both house of Parliament is of vital importance. Because if large number of opposition MPs and Samajwadi will definitely join in begin to say that Pranab Mukerjee has given a bad largesse… it will benefit only one company then a) Pranab Mukherjee is in the defensive and therefore the question of extending it to… huh… retrospectively goes out of the window. So this whole managing that stuff in a way and also I think, you know, Arun is speaking, Shourie is speaking as a listed speaker in the Rajya Sabha for the BJP but fortunately what we have managed to do is make him the second speaker but made Venkaiah [Naidu] the first. So I don’t know what is Mukesh’s relations with Venkaiah.