Didn’t arm-twist PM over 2G pricing: Dayanidhi Maran

Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) leader Dayanidhi Maran on Saturday denied allegations that he tried to pressurize Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over 2G spectrum allocation pricing back in 2006.
?There was no arm-twisting…I didn’t arm-twist the PM over 2G pricing?there was only a normal interaction with the Prime Minister,? Maran told reporters.

?The media trying to malign image of my party (DMK), me and PM, who is an honest and bold leader,? he said.

Maran further said: “I have been seeing the last two days that a selected piece of letter, which is a communication from me to the Honourable Prime Minister, has been made a big deal. The letter goes back to 2006 when I was the Minister for communications and Information Technology.?

“It quite saddens me that the media is trying to relate the current situation and trying to pass the judgment of 2006 letter to today’s scenario,” he added.

On Nov 18, a letter from Maran surfaced the media that says he was under pressure on the spectrum pricing.

The letter, sent by then-Union Telecom Minister Maran to PM, reveals that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) succumbed to the DMK pressure.

Times Now news channel claims to have received a copy of the letter that says: “You had kindly assured me that the Terms of Reference of the GOM would be drawn up exactly the way we wanted it which was to focus only on the issue of vacation of spectrum. The GOM has much wider Terms of Reference, which impinge upon the work of the ministry itself. I will be grateful if you could kindly instruct the concerned to modify the Terms of Reference as suggested by us.”

Maran had allegedly asked the PM not to interfere in the spectrum pricing.

The 2G Spectrum scam spelt more embarrassment for the Central government on Thursday as the Supreme Court (SC) sought an affidavit on behalf of the Prime Minister for his inordinate delay in acting against the scam while Opposition stalled proceedings in the Parliament over the scam.

Also, allegations of no response from the PMO to his repeated letters seeking sanction to prosecute former Telecom minister A Raja in the scam continued from Janata Dal leader Subramanium Swamy.

The Prime Minister on Saturday, in an affidavit before the Supreme Court on the 2G Spectrum scam, said that there was no inaction on his part for allowing prosecution of former Telecom minister A Raja.

Telecom Minister A Raja last Sunday resigned while a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the huge losses to the exchequer (Rs 1.76 lakh crore) was tabled in Parliament.