Government backs telecom minister A Raja in court

New Delhi : The government on Thursday defended A Raja in the Supreme Court saying that the CAG?s estimation of the carnage caused by the beleaguered telecom minister was ?ill-advised?.

The troubled Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) leader is in the eye of a storm these days as an uncharacteristically unified Opposition swears for his blood in the parliament over the alleged 2G spectrum scam.

In the apex court on Thursday, the government said that Raja had followed the same procedure followed by his predecessors and his efforts had helped shoot up the nation?s tele-density and enable the cheapest call rates in the world.

But the government?s stand on Wednesday to support its cabinet member only seems to have made the situation more uncomfortable itself.

Demanding Raja?s sacking, the Left Front said it was ready to back the Bharatiya Janata Party?s (BJP) call for a joint parliamentary committee to investigate the 2G scam.

A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had held him personally responsible for the ?illogical? sale of 2G spectrum that cost the national exchequer a loss of over Rs 1.40 lakh crore in 2008.

Even though chances of Raja?s survival are getting slimmer, his party DMK maintains that the telecom minister is innocent till the Supreme Court or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) pronounces him guilty.

“He says he is innocent. It is our stand. If a CAG report is any basis for resignation of Raja, then every Indian minister in every state has to resign,” DMK MP T K S Elangovan told IBNS.

“CAG is only an auditing body. Let the Supreme Court give its judgement,” he said.

According to some sources, however, the decision on Raja?s neck might only see light of the day when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns on Friday from a G-20 Seoul summit in Seoul.

Reports said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was under tremendous pressure over all the flak drawn by their beleaguered cabinet member.

Meanwhile Raja?s political opponent All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) supremo J Jayalalithaa on Thursday offered to support the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) if the DMK pulls out.

In an interview to the news channel Times Now Jayalalithaa said she could muster the support of 18 ?like-minded? Members of Parliament if Raja was axed leading to the exit of the DMK from the UPA.