Telecom Minister Raja played king, defied PM

New Delhi: Telecom Minister A Raja has told Parliament that there was complete transparency in the allocation of 2G spectrum and he had nothing to hide. But hide he did -- from the Prime Minister.CNN-IBN has evidence to show that Raja defied Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his written suggestion of auctioning 2G spectrum. A series of documents available with CNN-IBN show Raja was in a clear hurry in allotting spectrum, overruled the Prime Minister and even dismissed suggestions of taking the matter to the high-level EGOM (empowered group of ministers).A letter of 2 November 2007 from Singh to Raja clearly asks him to ensure fairness and transparency and cautions him against taking any measures without informing the Prime Minister’s Office. "Let me know of the position before you take any further action in this regard," says Singh’s letter to Raja.In the two-page letter, Singh objects to Raja's model of first-come-first-serve policy in allotting spectrum, and the 2001 pricing for sale in 2008.The PM also clearly instructs him to consider introduction of a transparent methodology like an auction and revision of the entry free.The letter appears lost on Raja, who responded to Singh the same day but offered no real reasons for his decision. His letter remains silent on Singh’s idea of an auction.For days there is no communication and then in a letter on December 26, Raja tells Singh he has received a consent from then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Solicitor General.The locus standi of the two is questionable in this case but what further challenges the Telecom Minister is a letter from the Ministry of Law and Justice, which was always clear that the issue had to go to an EGOM for consideration.The documents make it clear that Raja was in a hurry and flouted Singh's written directions to take the PMO’s clearance before acting on the matter. He also risks being charged with dismissing the important suggestion of taking this matter to an EGOM that would have ensured transparency.The fact the government decided to auction 3G allocations is often seen as an admission that 2G was not so great and transparent as Raja claims.History of rowThe government issued new telecom licenses in January 2008 along with bundled 4.4 MHz spectrum for Rs 1,658 crore. The Opposition alleges that the licenses were given at 2001 prices and caused huge loss to the government. More on: spectrum allocation row Previous Story Spectrum scam returns to haunt A Raja Comments0 Existing Member Login Username Password Remember my password on this computer Not a member yet? All comments will be published after moderation. More from The Gallery The Gallery Inter reaches Champions League final Bayern sail into Champions League final Bull gores Spanish matador