PM inquiry demanded by Dr. Swamy
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Press statement issued by BJP National Spokesperson and MP,
Shri Prakash Javadekar
Saturday, 13 November 2010
http://www.bjp.org/content/view/3683/394/
Three damning revelations, which have come in public domain today, have completely exposed the UPA dispensation of its complicity in 2G Spectrum scam and its design to cover it up.
Law officer calling meeting of the investigating CBI officers and Raja's counsel in presence of Solicitor General of India Shri Gopal Subramaniam is the clear proof of the cover up of the scam and tantamount to the contempt of the Hon. Supreme Court. When the Supreme Court bench is scheduled to hear the matter on Monday, the law officer cannot organize such a high profile meeting without the directive from higher up. As per our information, Solicitor General, Raja's counsel, Anita Shenoy, DIG (ACB) Shri Palsania and the concerned investigating CBI official Sh. Vivek Priyadarshi were also invited for the meeting besides other officers. This meeting was to decide the unified strategy to be adopted before the Supreme Court. Such a meeting and an effort is unheard of and totally unethical and is a clear proof of Govt's cover up plan, notwithstanding shifting of the convenor officer in face of leakage about the meeting.
Interview of the ex DoT secretary Mr. D. S. Mathur is a clinching evidence of how the2G Spectrum was allotted without following any principal of natural justice or equitable and transparent policy. Agenda of Mr. Raja was very clear from day one. He wanted to distribute 500 new licenses without bothering either for the availability of the spectrum or the required procedure. Though, he resisted all along the public auction of the spectrum, It is clear now that it was in a way a "Private Auction". The damning details of how Raja advanced the cut-off date for processing the application for licenses and how some of the upright officers one after another sought to distance from the decision and even retire prematurely is an eye opener. Even his disregard to formulate a policy to determine competent applicants also proves that the allotment was a premeditated conspiracy.
Even the licenses, which should have been cancelled by now for not starting operations in stipulated time frame explains the Govt's patronage to Sh. Raja's efforts. Now TRAI will have to take a call.
The Prime Minister cannot remain mute spectator and see the other way as he is doing for so long.
BJP also ask Congress president Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and General Secretary Mr. Rahul Gandhi to explain their stand. They can choose not to speak on inconvenient issues but they should not forget that nobody can fool the people for all the time.
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Published: November 13, 2010 15:15 IST | Updated: November 13, 2010 15:34 IST
Proposal on 2G auction ignored by Raja, says ex-Telecom Secretary
PTI
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article883966.ece?homepage=true&css=print
Amid demand for ouster of Telecom Minister A Raja on account of 2G spectrum allocation, former Telecom Secretary D S Mathur today said that his proposal for auctioning the radiowaves was ignored.
"I had also said that the spectrum was limited and therefore only limited number of licences can be given," Mr. Mathur told PTI over phone from Bhopal.
He, however, refused to comment on how all the new players or 121 licencees were given start-up spectrum of 4.4 Mhz within a few weeks of being allocated licences.
"How did he (Raja) do it, I have no idea, So I cannot comment on it," Mr. Mathur said, adding that there was not enough spectrum to accommodate over 500 applicants.
Mr. Raja has been claiming that he managed to break the cartel of telecom players and managed to give 2G spectrum to new players to bring in competition that resulted in massive growth in the sector, besides lowering of tariffs.
Mr. Raja has been in the eye of a storm over allocation of 2G spectrum in 2008 at prices fixed in 2001, which has allegedly caused the exchequer a loss of a whopping Rs 1.40 lakh crore, besides Rs 36,000 crore loss due to giving additional spectrum to existing operators beyond the contracted 6.2 Mhz.
The telecom minister has said that the policy of 1999, which was followed by his predecessors, had been followed while distributing licences in 2008.
Mr. Mathur, on the other hand, also said that he along with the then Member (Finance), Telecom Commission, discussed the matter and proposed to the minister that "we should go for an auction route for distributing spectrum" but the same was ignored.
Mr. Mathur, who retired as Telecom Secretary on December 31, 2007, had reportedly refused to sign the file for issuance of Letters of Intent to new operators.
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2G scam: Former telecom secretary blows whistle on Raja
AGENCIES, Nov 13, 2010, 11.49am IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6918857.cms?prtpage=1
NEW DELHI: One of the top officers of the department of telecommunications (DoT) has blown the whistle on the telecom minister A Raja's attempts to grant the controversial licences to nine operators. Speaking exclusively to TIMES NOW, former DoT secretary D S Mathur said that he resisted Raja's attempts to grant the licences without first coming out with an "equitable and transparent policy".
DS Mathur, who retired from his office on December 31, 2007 said, "When the minister (Raja) did not listen to my counsel, I told the joint secretary concerned that I would not sign any files on licensing matters, therefore no files should be put up before me."
He added that the applications were ready for scrutiny in the first week of November 2007 and had he agreed to toe Raja's line, these licences would have been granted later that month.
"When he became the minister in May 2007, he called me and expressed his desire to award around 500 new licences. My response was that the same was not possible as there was not much of spectrum and if such large number of licences were given, it would raise a big question mark whether spectrum needs of the existing operators could be met or not and whether new licensees could be given spectrum? I even told him that in the event licences are given and government fails to give spectrum, companies could move to court," added Mathur.
However, A Raja continues to remain in denial and said that all the decision he took was under the observation and consent by the Prime Minister.
The controversial decision of Raja to advance the cut-off date for processing the applications for licences, from October 1, 2007 to September 25 was also not okayed by Mathur.
