Ambani claims Reliance not favoured in spectrum allocation

Reliance Communications chairman Anil Ambani on Tuesday appeared before the Indian Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in the 2G spectrum allocation scam and maintained that his company was not favoured in any manner by the Telecom ministry.

Ambani reached the Parliament premises about noon for his 1 pm appointment with the PAC. He was quizzed for about two hours and was stated to be cooperative and clear in his replies, reports said.

Reports said that Ambani told the PAC that his Reliance Communications was, in fact, discriminated against and made to wait over 18 months to get spectrum after Tata Tele Services jumped the queue.

He also maintained that Swan Telecom is not a front of the Reliance group and that the company will contest all CBI charges.

Ambani, however, refused to answer queries over the CBI charge-sheet, pointing that it was sub-judice.

Etisalat Telecom CEO Atul Jhamb, S Tel CEO Shamik Das and Unitech Wireless MD Sigve Brekke also appeared separately before the PAC in the same case.

On Monday industrialist Ratan Tata, besides corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, had appeared before the PAC, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Murli Manohar Joshi.

Though the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) head has not been chargesheeted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), his company has been mentioned in the chargesheet.

Swan Telecom, Unitech Wireless and Ambani’s Reliance Communications are the three companies mentioned in the chargesheet, reports said.

There are allegations that Swan Telecom, which has been implicated by the CBI in the 2G spectrum scandal, could possibly be a front for Anil Ambani?s Reliance group.

The government’s auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), which had released a mammoth Rs 1.76 lakh crore loss estimate from the spectrum swindle allegedly masterminded by former Telecom Minister A Raja, had earlier reported that Swan was indeed a front for Reliance.