All India Anna DMK general secretary J Jayalalitha on Saturday released photocopies of documents which she said "proved Union Telecom Minister A. Raja's complicity" in the Rs.1,00,000 crore scam in the allocation of 2-G Spectrum.
Apparently piqued by Dr Singh's refusal to take note of her open letter in which she demanded that Mr Raja be at least shifted from the Telecom Ministry to facilitate an impartial probe, Ms Jayalalitha released the documents purportedly seized by the CBI during raids on the offices of the Telecom Ministry following an investigation ordered by the Vigilance Commissioner.
“These and much more have been seized by the CBI during its raids", she said and added that no one had refuted them. She asked why Dr Singh was maintaining a "monumental silence" in the face of such evidence.
One of the documents, she said, was a letter dated Nov 15,2008 from K S Ramasubban, Secretary to the Central Vigilance Commission to Siddhartha Bohura, Secretary in the Department of Telecom, intimating the CVC’s displeasure over the reply furnished by the department to certain specific queries.
Another document showed a noting by the Union Law Minister, saying that" in view of the importance of the case, it is necessary that the whole issue is first considered by an empowered group of ministers..."
On Nov 2, Mr. Raja wrote to the Prime Minister that he intended to continue with policy of alloting second generation spectrum licences to mobile operators on a “first-come-first-served” basis, notwithstanding the suggestions of Union Law Minister. Subsequently, the Prime Minister requested Mr Raja to “give urgent consideration to the issues being raised with a view to ensuring fairness and transparency and let me know of the position before you take any further action.”
In his reply, Mr Raja informed the Prime Minister that he had consulted the External Affairs Minister and the Solicitor-General of India.
Ms Jayalalitha said Mr Raja dismissed a case filed by the Cellular Operators Association of India as ‘frivolous and vexatious court proceedings’ and maintained that he had already decided on how to go about with the allocation of spectrum.” He also indicated that his stand conforms to the position of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Ms. Jayalalitha said.
Contradicting his claim, Ms Jayalalitha cited a file noting dated Nov 25, 2007, made by a senior TRAI official that the "first-come-first-served criteria would be replaced by entry by bidding..." The notings also insisted that Spectrum may be allocated "based on auctions."
Ms Jayalalitha also released to the media list of `letter-pad' institutions to which 2-G Spectrum was allotted.
All these documents seized by the CBI, "clearly show that Raja had acted in a dubious manner in the allocation of 2-G Spectrum." And yet, the Prime Minister was "maintaining a monumental silence for reasons best known to him", she said.
- Asian Tribune -
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