2G Spectrum case; Prime Minister had asked Raja to stop sale

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Following allegations of the BJP that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh himself had given the approval to proceed with the sale of 2G spectrum without auction, the tide has now turned in favor of the Prime Minister. There is now proof enough to justify that the Prime Minister had initially asked Raja not go ahead with his model of sale, but to instead auction off the spectrum at market rates.

Letters from the Prime Minister’s office to Telecom Minister, A. Raja show that the Prime Minister had repeatedly asked Raja to change the form of sale from a queue-basis to that of an auction. After a delay of nearly two months, Raja had replied to the Prime Minister that he had obtained approval for the current model of sale from other officials including the erstwhile Minister of External Affair, Pranab Mukherjee.

But with the case having been produced before the Supreme Court, even the office of the Prime Minister will have to be prepared with satisfactory explanations so as to avoid being prosecuted. Mainly, the PM may be required to justify why he did not take immediate action when he saw that his instructions to Raja were being countered and no auction model was being followed for sale.

Raja, the lead accused in the 2G spectrum scandal, seems to produce no attempts at giving any logical explanations to the many questions raised by BJP and other parties in court.

Former Secretary of the Telecommunication Department, D. S. Mathur has stated that he repeatedly warned Raja’s attempts regarding the 2G spectrum licensing. It appears that in 2007, Raja had carried out the sale of approximately 500 licenses out to companies without considering the probability that the Government may not have the infrastructure required to support the number of licenses in action.

Raja sold off the 2G spectrums to companies in 2008 at prices lower than the going rates. His actions have been reported to cause the Indian Government a loss of Rupees1.76 lakh crores.

The BJP meanwhile continues to have a field day at the Parliament. It persists on the immediate disposal of Minister A. Raja from the cabinet, either by resignation or by removal.

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