Sack IT minister Raja, demands BJP

CHENNAI: The BJP's state unit today demanded the sacking of Union IT and Telecom Minister A Raja for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam, saying he had been clearly indicted by many agencies.

'Raja, in the first place, should not have been inducted in the Central cabinet at all, but it was done under certain complusions. He has been clearly indicted (by agencies such as Comptroller and Auditor General of India),' BJP's state unit president, Pon.Radhakrishnan said here today.

Any other minister whose name could have cropped up in a scam of such proportions would have faced severe action, he told reporters here.

'Raja has to be sacked and he must face legal action,' he demanded.

He described the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre as 'being run like an agency,' and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as 'powerless' (in connection with the Raja episode).

To a question on next year's Assembly elections and whether his party would forge an alliance, Radhakrishnan said the primary objective was to throw the ruling DMK out of power, for which all parties must unite. He however did not speak of any alliance.

He said his party would undertake a 'Thamarai Yatirai' (Lotus Yatra) across Tamil Nadu, starting November 19, which would tour all districts and highlight various issues, including farmers' problems.

On the kidnap and murder of two children by their former car driver at Coimbatore recently, he said it was a ''big shame' to Tamil Nadu. Special laws must be enacted to punish culrpits in designated fast track courts, he said.