Author: Pioneer News Service
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: May 7, 2009
URL: http://www.dailypioneer.com/174521/BJP-CPM-demand-Raja-scalp-for-Telecom-scam.html
PM presiding over corrupt Cabinet, says Brinda
Following The Pioneer report on Union Minister
A Raja's associate and his firms being short-listed for WiMax services, the
BJP and the Left on Wednesday slammed the Manmohan Singh Government. While
the BJP demanded the immediate sacking of Telecom Minister A Raja and cancellation
of BSNL's WiMax franchisee allotment, the CPI(M) ridiculed Singh, saying the
so-called "Mr Clean" was presiding over a corrupt Cabinet.
Blaming the UPA Government for 'corruption
in last days in office', BJP spokesperson Prakash Javdekar demanded the 'immediate
sacking' of Raja and stopping of BSNL's WiMax franchisee allotment.
"The UPA Government has perhaps decided
to loot the nation in its last days in office. The report suggests that the
Telecom Minister has helped five companies of his friend Sanjay Kapoor got
franchise of BSNL's WiMax (high speed internet) service," alleged BJP
spokesperson Javdekar.
"We demand the Prime Minister sack Raja
immediately," he told reporters in here.
Quoting The Pioneer report, the BJP spokesperson
claimed that out of the six companies short-listed for franchise, five belonged
to Kapoor.
"The companies were registered on a single
date (November 7, 2008) with same notary, same auditor, same witnesses, same
address and same email id," he added.
He said if the process of allotment goes ahead,
"it will mean giving 20 MHz of spectrum without any investment and offering
free use of BSNL's assets, including its 20,000 offices, 50,000 towers and
two million km of optical fibre cable...This is corruption to the tune of
a thousand crore of rupees."
Meanwhile, CPI(M) Politburo member Brinda
Karat squarely blamed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for ``presiding over the
corrupt Cabinet". She was addressing the media in Madurai.
"Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the so
called Mr Clean is presiding over the corrupt Cabinet. He is becoming a mute
spectator over the blatant corruption by the Telecom Minister. PM did nothing
on the allocation of 2G spectrum at throw away prices and allowing the private
companies to off load shares at whopping prices. BSNL is a national asset
and it should be protected from the private players," she said.
"The PM had kept mum on the Rs 10000
crore defence deal with Israel, where Rs.600 crore is allotted as business
charges, which clearly shows the ways of kickback money. No action has been
taken against any corruption charges. In the last lap of power, the Telecom
Minister is doing blatant corruption," said the CPI(M) Politburo member.
The Pioneer had exposed that Raja's confidant
Sanjay Kapoor floated five companies in the name of his close relatives for
the BSNL's WiMax franchisee business. All the companies were registered on
single date, same notary, same witness, same auditor, had applied for the
14 circles of BSNL. The public sector telecom company's technical committee
had short-listed Sanjay Kapoor's five companies and a Banglore-based BPO,
owned by C Narasimhan, Congress leader and former MP from Tamil Nadu.
