RCom unduly favoured in 2G allocation: Radia

Corporate lobbyist Niira Radia?s statement before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the 2G scam has dropped the latest bombshell on Anil Ambani and his Reliance Communications (RCom).

Reports on Thursday claimed that Radia had told the CBI that Ambani was close to tainted former Telecom minister A Raja, who is currently in the Tihar Jail in connection with the scam, and RCom was unduly favoured by the ex-minister.

She also stated that RCom controlled Swan Telecom, which has been named in the CBI charge-sheet in the scam, which was awarded 2G license though it was not eligible.

While Radia was close to Raja?s personal assiatent RK Chandolia, she had never lobbied for Raja to be made the Telecom minister, a portfolio he was not interested himself, the corporate lobbyist?s latest statements before the CBI reveal.

She hinted that she preferred former Telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran as he was against the Tatas.

Radia had also discussed the Anil Ambani-Sunil Mittal issue with Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s son-in-law.

Radia had also stated before the CBI that Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar could be behind the real estate company, DB Realty owned by the jailed Shahid Balwa, implicated in the 2G scam.

Pawar, denying the charge on Thursday, said, ?What I saw in TV and newspapers…she is saying has not got any proof…this is her perception. I want to make one thing absolutely clear…in this realty and telecom…we have no relations…I have not one naya paisa in the company.?

Balwa, one of the key men implicated and arrested in the 2G licencing scam is the promoter for DB Realty and Swan Telecom, which is mired in the telecom scam for bagging a licence allegedly with the help of Raja despite its apparent ineligibility.

Earlier on Wednesday, The CBI has opposed the bail petitions of five corporate honchos in connection with the 2G Spectrum allocation scam.

The bail petitions were moved by Vinod Goenka of Swan Telecom, Sanjay Chandra of Unitech, and three officials of Reliance Anil Dhirubhani Ambani group — Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair and Surendra Pipara.

They were presented in the special court along with former telecom minister A Raja, his ex-personal aide RK Chandolia, former telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa, who all are lodged in the Tihar Jail currently.

The special CBI court, presided over by Judge OP Saini, listed the matter for hearing on April 15.

Earlier on April 2, the CBI had filed an 80,000 page charge-sheet against nine people and three companies, including Raja and his Telecom ministry aides and Unitech, Swan telecom and Reliance Telecom.