In a conversation with Reliance’s Manoj Modi, Niira discusses a bunch of NGOs being considered to file litigation and PILs.
Niira Radia: Hello.
Manoj Modi: Hi, Niira.
NR: Hi.
MM: How are you?
NR: I’m fine, Manoj, how are you?
MM: I’m fine. This, Raja is with me...
NR: Haan, haan.
MM: We were just discussing about this...our litigation, demerger and some other PIL he has in mind
NR: Haan.
MM: Now this ngo, you are sure now, because see, we have this one NGO, that Ramjibhai Mawani, who had done earlier for our power business...
NR: Haan.
MM: And second, the one that you have identified from Delhi.
NR: Haan.
MM: So I am fine with either, whatever is your comfort and preference.
NR: Well my feedback on these people is quite good.... I’ve understood them and they’re quite okay, I don’t get a sense that there is anything...to worry about.
MM: Haan, so, because see, like this Rajkot guys toh we know that nothing will go wrong, and here also even if it doesn’t go wrong, it is better to have a new person involved. But if you have even iota of doubt then we should look here, because this is going to be a very high-profile and high-tensile case.
NR: Well, they are already registered na, Manoj, with the... they are a registered NGO...
MM: No, that is fine, registered NGO is fine, but they should not back out na, at a later...
NR: No, Manoj, I...to be honest with you, I don’t know them personally, I know the guy, though. I’ve had him spoken to from somebody very, very...who he listens to and I don’t think he’ll ever go back on his word.
MM: You don’t know them personally?
NR: No, I know who...the guy who owns the...one of them, I know one of them, there are five of them there. The other gentleman is a JNU guy, I don’t think he’ll backtrack. I think he’s extremely credible from what...I’ve got his reference check on him, they’re serious guys. Inhone DLF kiya tha, DLF ne pura inke upar zor laga liya tha, lekin unhone revert...they did not go back. Even when they offered them money.
MM: Why don’t you do your due diligence and finally, I’ll go...
NR: I’ve done, I’ve done that. That’s why I only approached it when I did the due diligence. So when I finally saw ki isne DLF ke saath backtrack nahin kiya hai and the...for the pressure dlf had put on them...
MM: Nahin, nahin, but DLF ka pressure ek rahta hai, you know I don’t have to tell you anything about our guys na, our guys (put) more pressure.
NR: Haan, haan, Manoj...how much time do we have?
MM: (discusses with someone)...next 2-3 days you have to decide, so I will go with your judgement finally. We want to do 2-3-4 things, we have to...
NR: Manoj main usko personally nahin jaanti but mujhe doubt nahin hai uske upar. I can tell you that because I think the guy’s credible, comes from very credible background. And I don’t think he’s the sort of guy to manoeuvre.
Another voice (probably the Raja who is mentioned earlier): Niira, if there is more than one, there should not be a pressure on others and all that, that is...
NR: Nahin nahin...basically the guys are three of them, of which I know one very well personally. That I can tell you uska, woh kabhi nahin backtrack karega, doosra JNU ka hai, very credible man, sardar hai, hilega nahin aise.... Mujhe bilkul nahin uske upar doubt. And the third guy is absolutely cool. And he knows my, one of my employees, Daljeet, very well. That’s how this whole thing got put together. So when he came to me with the names, I did a check on them. Then I made Sunil Arora talk to them, kyunki woh Sunil ko bahut achchhi tarah se jaante hain. And I know when Sunil steps in...whenever he’s given me a reference, he’s never been wrong, Manoj. At least till today, I’ve never seen, mujhe koi doubt nahin hai inpe.
MM: Because see, when we were doing this power, they had gone to Ramjibhai Mawani also. They had reached his home and taken all kinds of bags...
NR: Haan, haan, I understand that, I understand woh karenge, maine yeh sab soch ke hi kiya tha Manoj.
MM: Haan to woh, see because kya hai, in this case it is so important for us, you understand that, so my preference is to do with them primarily because I don’t want the same guy to do it directly, then we want to have another general feel also that we will have them do it.
NR: Donon se kar lete hain na Manoj, yeh bhi aayega na, yeh bhi to hai na...
MM: Haan, haan, means apne ko to do-teen cheez karni hai, to harek cheez alag alag aadmi se lade to better hai na.
NR: Much better, otherwise it doesn’t become credible na?
MM: That is what I’m saying, that is precisely what I’m saying. Isliye ek baar phir bhi, you...finish your Vaishno Devi visit. And then during that time you just assess it once more, in your mind also, doesn’t matter, you think about it.
NR: Okay.
MM: Then Raja will go ahead and file, because Raja, I’m giving him all the green signal for going and getting all the documents ready and petitions ready and everything.
NR: Hmm.
MM: Hmm?
NR: Hmm, perfect, what I’ll do is I’ll talk to my team also, and I speak to Sunil one more time, mujhe... (line cuts)
