Arun Shorie ready to face CBI over 2G scam

Former Telecom Minister Arun Shourie on Saturday said he is ready to face ?any kind? of interrogation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) over the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

?During the NDA government and my tenure, the telecom sector was clean?it was free from all scams. Now that the Supreme Court has decided to monitor the probe, I am ready to face any kind of interrogation by the CBI,? Shourie said.

He accused tainted A Raja for using ?strong arm tactics? to keep off many bidders for 2G.

Shourie was Telecom Minister in the BJP-led NDA government in 2003.

Stating that it was convinced of irregularities in granting of telecom licences, the Supreme Court on Thursday, directed the CBI to extend its probe in the process of awarding telecom licences from 2001 and function without any influence.

It directed the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a status report on the investigations in a sealed envelope to the court on February 10, 2011.

DMK leader A Raja was forced to resign as Telecom Minister last month, after the government’s auditor, Comptroller and Auditor General, (CAG) in its report said the nation lost about Rs 1.76 lakh crore for undervaluing 2G Spectrum licenses which were allocated to private telecom operators.