No cover-up, no witch hunt: Congress on A Raja

New Delhi : With the clamour for removal of A Raja over the 2G scam gaining momentum, senior Congress leaders on Sunday remained evasive on the possibility of axing the tainted telecom minister.

The party, however, held a high-level meeting on Sunday with the Prime Minister to discuss the issue.

“No cover up and no witch hunt,” said Defence Minister A K Antony in Thiruvananthapuram when asked whether Congress would remove Raja or ignore the protests.

“Wait and see,” he said, when the journalists pressed for an answer on the issue.

In New Delhi, Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said whatever is to be spoken on Raja will be spoken in Parliament.

In the Congress high level meeting at Parliament House, Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, party chief Sonia Gandhi, Pranab Mukherjee and Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to the Congress President, were present.

Meanwhile, the Telecom Minister showed no indication of his resigning as he affirmed that every decision on the 2G spectrum allocation was in accordance with law.

To a question in Chennai on whether he would resign if the Prime Minister wants, he said: “Your question is fictitious. I am having full confidence on me. What I did was in accordance with the law and this type of perception is wrong.”

He said the media reaction should not be unilateral and motivated.

Raja said the former telecom secretary ( D S Mathur) who brought the allegations of overruling his disapproval in spectrum allocation was part and parcel of the decisions.

“Mr Mathur was a part and parcel of all discussions. He also signed files on 7/11/2007,” Raja said, adding that his (Mathur’s) suggestion on likely availablity of spectrum was also useful in arriving at the cut-off date.

He said all Mathur’s suggestions are in the file.

The beleaguered telecom minister might be axed next week as his position further weakened on Saturday by the revelations of a former telecom secretary on how he ignored all warnings.