Dismiss A Raja at least now: Opposition

NEW DELHI: A day after 3G spectrum’s auction, the Opposition stepped up pressure on the Manmohan Singh government for the ouster of communication and IT minister A Raja, raising questions over selling the 2G spectrum “for a song”.

BJP and Left parties have said the minister’s “corrupt” practices in the 2G sale have been exposed by the outcome of the current round.

“The question which concerns us now is if the 3G spectrum can earn for the exchequer an amount of Rs 67,710 crore, why should have been the 2G spectrum allotted in 2007-08 for Rs 1651 crore for an All India licence,” asked BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday.

Alleging that the loss was over Rs 60,000 crore, she said two of the allottees in 2G spectrum diluted their equity immediately after allocation and the license and spectrum which they got for Rs 1,651 crore acquired a valuation of $2 billion, which is over Rs 9,000 crore for dilution of equity.

Nine licenses were allotted on this price. “How long will the prime minister look the other way and pretend that nothing has happened,” she asked.

On Mr Raja’s argument that the difference between 2G and 3G spectrum is a difference between PDS rice and the Basmati rice, Ms Sitharaman said, “PDS rice is distributed to the economically-deprived. The 2G spectrum was allotted to Reliance Communications, Airtel, Vodafone, Swan Telecom, Videocon, Unitech etc. Surely these are not deprived sections of the society, which needed to be subsidised by Mr A Raja for allocation of 2G spectrum.” Mr Raja’s euphemism seems to have been lost on the BJP spokeswoman as he had meant that 2G prices had to be kept low since it was meant for the common man, the end user.

CPM too reacted on similar lines saying that “if the minister refuses to resign, the prime minister should sack him”.

Accusing Mr Raja, who is facing an inquiry over 2G spectrum allocation, of blatantly violating the law, the party said the outcome of the 3G spectrum auction convincingly proved that the communication minister was involved in corrupt practices by selling 2G spectrum to some industrialists by manipulating TRAI recommendations.

“Despite repeated demands made in Parliament and outside, Raja is nonchalantly continuing to stick to his position. Such a situation cannot be allowed to be continued,” the CPM polit bureau said in a statement here.