BJP asks govt to probe spectrum scam

NEW DELHI: The BJP seized upon the opportunity accorded by the spectrum scam to take the UPA government to task. Describing it as the ���mother of all scams,��� the party put forward five questions for the communications minister A Raja and the government to answer. The party has asked the government to come clean on the deal and to order a probe.

On Tuesday, the party had joined forces with AIADMK and the Left to demand a joint parliamentary committee probe. On Wednesday it reiterated this demand and an earlier demand for a probe by CBI. In the meantime, it has asked that the letter from Prime minister Manmohan Singh that Mr Raja refers to in his defence be produced.

The party has also asked that all correspondence in the matter between the department of telecom and the Central Vigilance Commission and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) be made public. In its series of queries, BJP has asked that the minister verify whether TRAI has denied existence of guidelines that the minister quoted in his affidavit to the court.

Other information which the BJP has sought includes the ���real ownership��� of Swan, one of the companies that was awarded the spectrum and the manner in which the net worth of Greenhouse, a company allegedly controlled by Mr Raja���s relatives , increased from zero to Rs 700 crore.

Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said that the spectrum scam was the biggest in scope because the 2G spectrum was grossly undervalued ��� estimates put the undervaluation as anywhere between Rs 60,000 crore and Rs 1,50,000 crore.

Besides , the companies that benefited do not have any telecom credentials. He questioned the reason behind the continued silence of the Congress and the prime minister on the matter.