Pawar unfazed, Patil angry about 3-year-old Telgi tapes

MUMBAI: Sharad Pawar's was the only new name to emerge from the three-year-old tape of Abdul Karim Telgi's narco-analysis that surfaced on Wednesday. But the CBI, which is investigating the multi-crore stamps scandal, made no move to question the Union agriculture minister, because it had already investigated Telgi's claims and found them to be baseless.

Besides Pawar, Telgi named Chhagan Bhujbal, now public works minister, and Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Sources said news channels bought the tape from a Bangalore-based freelance journalist who obtained them from the forensic laboratory where the analysis was conducted. Political circles in Mumbai believe the tape was leaked by the Karnataka government to embarrass the Congress and the UPA.

Pawar rubbished Telgi's statement. "How can an accused make accusations against anybody and everybody?" he said.

Bhujbal said, "The Telgi scam was exposed when I was deputy CM and home minister of Maharashtra. This may be his way of taking revenge."

Deshmukh said, "These are 2003 tapes. The special investigating team and CBI have already investigated them and found nothing against any politician. News channels are showing these tapes only to increase their TRPs."

Deputy Chief Minister RR Patil expressed his irritation with the media: "If you are taking what Telgi is saying about Pawar at face value, then one day you will come forward with Abu Salem's claim that he was not involved in 1993 blasts."