BOMBAY: Bombay share broker Harshad Mehta who claimed he paid off to India’s prime minister “for his patronage and blessings” Rs 1 crore on November 4,1991, came out early this week with a tape recording of his conversation with Sunil Mittal of Bharti telecom rebutting latter’s disclaimer of his association with Mehta in the bribe giving episode.

Sunil Mittal is the son of Punjab Congress (I) leader Satpal Mittal who died about a year ago. Mehta in his first statement had claimed that Satpal Mittal had arranged his meeting with Rao and that Sunil had accompanied them to the prime minister house. But Sunil had denied the allegation and had claimed that he had relations with Mehta which were not personal in nature,

The tape recorded conversation between Mehta and Sunil Mital shows the latter calling him “friend” and not merely a shareholder of Bharti telecom, Mehta pleaded for political help owing to raids on his establishments by the Income tax authorities and registration of cases against him for his involvement in the share scam. Mehta specifically asked Sunil Mittal to approach the Indian prime minister’s personal assistant Khandekas who had been given the suit case containing Rs67 lakh in the presence of the prime minister for help so that the broker was not harassed by the authorities. Mittal replied that he had sent Manmohan Sharma (his father’s assistant) to Khandekar but the latter refused to meet him. Sunil promised that he would ask Manmohan to try again.

In the course of the conversation, Mittal asked Mehta not to take names. He would otherwise understand him. Mehta assured Miual he was telephoning from his own place but was doing so from outside, He asked Mittal to take down details namely that four of them met the prime minister at 10:45 a.m. on November 4,1991. Sunil did not deny these details but promised to come to Bombay two days later for a meeting or he would send Manmohan Sharma to Bombay.

Mehta Mittal conversation clearly confirmed Mehta’s earlier version but Sunil Mittal in his reaction scoffed at the tape recording. Mittal did not mention the details of the conversation, The Indian government also brushed aside the tape recording as an effort by a criminal to brush up his own version and allegations.

Harshad Mehta also showed to newsmen a bag which can contain Rs 67 lakh in currency notes, in the contents of a newspaper re ( that the allegation against the prime minister was absurd as no Suitcase can accommodate Rs 67 lakh, in currency notes. Those present at the press conference including men from the intelligence and income tax departments cheered as they saw a video recording of the suit case being filled with the currency notes of the denomination earlier mentioned by Mehta.

Article extracted from this publication >>July 2, 1993