While Agrawal wanted to speak with Jindal after the conference, the CMD of the company decided to leave the conference from the rear exit giving Agrawal the slip. Jindal also stated that there wasn’t any time to take any questions.
The Rs 1.86 lakh crore coal scam had an unexpected fallout with the Jindal Steel and Power Ltd (JSPL) alleging that editors of Zee News group had demanded money to stop the coverage of the company being one of the beneficiaries of coal block allocations.
Zee News immediately issued a denial and alleged that JSPL’s promoters “had offered a bribe” to “stop the aggressive coverage by Zee to uncover the scam”.
JSPL’s Naveen Jindal, a Congress MP from Haryana, held a press conference on Thursday alleging that Zee News representatives had approached them asking for advertisements to stop the coverage. However, Zee News pointed out that they had continued with several expo·sé on how JSPL got the coal blocks and the channel would continue with its coverage despite these allegations.
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.
The press conference was disrupted when RTI and environmental activist Ramesh Agrawal surfaced at the press conference in a wheel chair. Agrawal is recovering from bullet wounds that he sustained after he was allegedly fired at because he had been protesting against JSPL for years. Agrawal claimed that he had been attacked for opposing the company’s project in Chhattisgarh.
While Agrawal wanted to speak with Jindal after the conference, the CMD of the company decided to leave the conference from the rear exit giving Agrawal the slip. Jindal also stated that there wasn’t any time to take any questions.
“I was shot at for opposing the project of the JSPL. I have been trying to speak with Naveen Jindal on the issue. He has lodged an FIR against me saying that I am asking for money to stop my agitation against their company... Nobody is listening to me,” Agarwal claimed. In 2010, Agrawal had written to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), accusing the company of beginning construction on its plant prior to obtaining clearance from the ministry.
Zee News states:
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
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