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A Raja claims there was complete transparency in the allocation of 2G spectrum | | Union Telecom Minister A Raja said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday that that there was complete transparency in the way 2G spectrum was allocated by his Ministry, and that he had nothing to hide. "I
have nothing to hide. There was complete transparency in the way 2G spectrum was
allocated by the Telecom Ministry," said Raja giving his defence on the controversy
over his alleged role in the 2G spectrum controversy. There was an uproar in the
Rajya Sabha on Wednesday after lawmakers demanded the resignation of Raja after
a leading newspaper claimed proof against him over his alleged role in the 2G
spectrum scandal. They demanded that Raja should step down from his ministerial
position with immediate effect. Meanwhile, there are reports that in Tamil Nadu,
the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) is hoping to take full advantage
of the controversy. AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa has accused the Centre of double
standards for forcing Shashi Tharoor to quit over the Indian Premier League (IPL)
scandal, but keeping Raja despite the allegations of corruption against him. "When
charges were raised by Lalit Modi about Shashi Tharoor's dubious involvement in
IPL deals, the junior minister was sacrificed. But when it comes to allies, the
UPA is forced to submit to blackmail. The issue is not just one of probity in
public life," said Jayalalithaa. "It is about the loot of Rs 1 lakh crore of funds
due to the nation. It is the sort of money that could have provided independent
houses free of cost to every family in Tamil Nadu," she added. Raja had said in
October last year that he wouldn't step down from his position in the wake of
charges that his spectrum allocation policies have caused a revenue loss of 60,000
crore rupees. "I will not step down. Ours is a government that has followed all
rules to the latter and spirit by following the recommendations of TRAI (Telecom
Regulatory Authority of India)," he said. Raja also alleged that the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government was involved
in the "biggest ever scam", as it distributed free spectrum to operators depriving
the exchequer of over 1,60,000 rupees crore revenue. Raja added that the NDA government
not only distributed free spectrum, but also violated all norms by giving the
frequency far in excess of 4.4 MHz to many leading operators. |
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