BJP demands immediate sacking of A Raja

New Delhi : India?s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday demanded ?immediate sacking? of Union Telecom minister A Raja for the 2G Spectrum scam.

?BJP demands immediate sacking of A. Raja and an explanation from the Prime Minister,? said party?s national spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.

?The affidavit of the government in the Supreme Court on the 2G Spectrum allotment is testimony of the abject and complete surrender of the Congress before its partner Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) for mere survival in the office.

?The shameful justification of corruption in 2G Spectrum allotment is the proof of a complete paralysis that has set in the government,? the BJP MP said.

Javadekar said the Congress-led UPA government is ?defending the indefensible?.

?NDA government in 2003 decided in the cabinet that the spectrum in future will be allotted by auction only. Mr. Balu and other DMK ministers were part of the decision. Thus, the government is fooling that they are pursuing the NDA policies.

?It is absurd that the resources like spectrum, which has become scarce, could be sold in 2008 at the price of 2001. The teledensity, which was merely 7% in 2001 is now more than 60%. So the argument of teledensity is also not valid,? said Javadekar.

The BJP also demanded answer from Prime Minister Mnamohan Singh on whether the PMO (Prime Minister?s Office) had given its assent to 2G Spectrum allotment without auction, as is being suggested by DoT (Department of Telecommunications) or Raja.

?Was the decision to allot 2G Spectrum without auction taken by DoT or by the Cabinet? Is it not a fact that the PM was fully informed about the TRAI position on the issue and the fact that TRAI has never recommended 2G Spectrum allotment without auction? If 2G allotment without auction was right mode of allotment, then why 3G Spectrum was allotted through auction?? asked Javadekar.

He further said: ?Every time when confronted, A. Raja stressed that he has sought guidance and permission from the Prime Minister at every stage. This casts heavy responsibility on the PM to clarify whether he has personally approved the procedure, which A. Raja was adopting.?

?PM?s silence on this is therefore more eloquent. The paralysis on the part of the Prime Minister to take action against A. Raja on the worst scam India has ever witnessed proves that he was also partner in the decision,? the BJP spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, giving a clean chit to Raja, Tamil Nadu chief minister and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi on Friday said there was not need for his party MP to resign from the Union Cabinet.

Earlier on Friday, Raja too had ruled out his resignation over the 2G spectrum issue and maintained that contracts were according to the law.

His statement came a day after the opposition stalled the proceedings in Parliament for the second consecutive day demanding his resignation for causing loss to the Government exchequer between Rs 70,000 and Rs 140,000 lakh crore.

Raja said he had followed all the norms set by the cabinet in 1999 for the 2G auction.

The Government’s auditor has held Raja directly responsible for costing the Government Rs1.40 lakh crore through his controversial allocation of 2G spectrum in 2008.