’Telecon’ Raja cut to size

Former minister ate jail food, slept on the floor and did not throw any tantrums, say jail authorities

'Telecon' Raja cut to size

Former minister ate jail food, slept on the floor and did not throw any tantrums, say jail authorities

The 2G-scam scarred former telecom minister, A Raja, woke up to the reality in Tihar jail that "plundering" taxpayers' money for your sprawling palace might land you in a 15X10ft cell.

According to jail sources, Raja woke up at 5.30 in the morning, had his morning tea with fellow cellmates former IGP R K Sharma, convicted for killing journalist Shivani Bhatnagar, and former Delhi Police ACP SS Rathi, charge sheeted in the Connaught Place encounter case.

Raja would have to step out of his cell and stand in a queue with fellow prisoners for head counting twice a day

The disgraced DMK leader then went out for a walk on the prison premises with the duo.

He read all the English dailies available and kept to himself throughout the day afterwards. Raja, who was taken to Tihar Jail on Thursday evening, will be sharing the cell with Sharma and Rathi for the next two weeks.

Raja is lodged in a VIP ward in Tihar Jail's sub-jail number 1, comprising 35 inmates in five rooms. "On Thursday, he did not talk to anybody.

He had his dinner alone. He slept on the floor of the cell. However, he had normal jail food for lunch yesterday," said a jail official.

The scam-tainted leader has brought a few English novels with him. Raja is entitled to getting tea at 7 am, lunch at 3 pm and dinner at 6 pm.

Raja would have to step out of his cell and stand in a queue with fellow prisoners for head counting twice a day in the morning and evening.

Tihar jail spokesperson Sunil Gupta said, "He is not being given any special treatment and being treated like any other inmate. He is not throwing any tantrums and cooperating with the jail authorities."

Other VIPs in Tihar

Earlier, there were a plethora of politicians such as Shibu Soren and Madhu Koda, Babu Bhai Katara and Pappu Yadav at Tihar, but now Raja has only one politician for company: former Congress leader Romesh Sharma.

Though he's not devoid of friends in the biggest jail of Asia.
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The disgraced DMK leader's private secretary R K Chandolia and former telecom secretary Sidhartha Behura are also spending time in the same jail, but they are lodged in a separate cell.