New Delhi: Amid growing attack on telecom minister A Raja over alleged scam in spectrum allocation, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to take a decision on his continuance in the Union Cabinet after his return from Seoul on Friday, highly placed sources said on Wednesday.
The sources indicated that the government is under intense pressure to remove Raja as he has been directly held responsible for the alleged scam by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
"Holding a Cabinet minister directly responsible for any scam is rare. In such a circumstance, it is difficult for any government to retain the minister," a source said.
CNN-IBN has accessed the CAG report on the 2G spectrum scandal which has clearly indicted Raja as well as the telecom regulator TRAI. CNN-IBN'S report was quoted in Parliament where the Opposition, led by the AIADMK in the Rajya Sabha, and the BJP in the Lok Sabha, demanded the resignation of the Telecom Minister and an explanation from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Raja, who is from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), has been facing the heat for some time, with even the Supreme Court questioning his continuance in office.
A decision on his continuance in the Cabinet is expected be taken after the return of the Prime Minister from G20 Summit in Seoul on Friday, the sources said.
The CAG has said it has submitted to the government the report on the 2G spectrum allotment that may have caused a loss of over Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.
Sources in the know say that the CAG has accused the telecom ministry for undervaluing 2G spectrum, sold to new players in 2008, and held that the allotment price was not realistic, which has caused a revenue loss of Rs 1,76,700 crore to the government.
The report is understood to have named Raja for taking arbitrary decision while allotting 2G spectrum, bundled with licences in January 2008.
Meanwhile, Opposition parties have demanded that Union telecom Minister A Raja should resign following his indictment by the Comptroller and Auditor General in the 2G spectrum scam.
The Opposition created a ruckus in Parliament over three major scams - 2G spectrum, Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society and Commonwealth Games - demanding investigation by a Joint Parliamentary Committee and targeted Raja in particular for his alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam.
CAG submitted its final report on 2G spectrum scam to President Pratibha Patil on Wednesday.
Both houses of Parliament saw noisy scenes as all the Opposition parties demanded action against Raja in the 2G spectrum scam.
"Raja says he took all decisions with the Prime Minister's knowledge. Even then the Prime Minister keeps quiet. We demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe," demanded BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.
AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa issued a statement calling the people to send a telegram to the President of India asking for the dismissal of Raja.
The AIADMK chief pointed out that Congress had taken action against many leaders who were accused of corruption including Shashi Tharoor, Ashok Chavan and Suresh Kalmadi.
"The Congress party has tried to give the impression of ensuring a degree of probity in public life. Shashi Tharoor was made to quit as Union Minister of State as soon as accusing fingers were pointed at him about his alleged complicity in a murky IPL deal," she said in a statement issued in Chennai on Wednesday.
"After charges of corruption and malpractices surfaced in connection with the conduct of the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Suresh Kalmadi, who was presiding over CWG affairs was allowed to continue till the Games were completed. Now he has been eased out of his powerful office as Secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party. He will face the high-level inquiry into the CWG scam without the protection provided by his position. Similarly, Ashok Chavan has been removed as Chief Minister of Maharashtra in the wake of the Adarsh Housing controversy," the statement said.
Calling the 2G spectrum case as the "mother of all scams", she said that despite trying to project itself as a role model for "impeccable public morality", the Congress was yet to take any action against Raja, who continued to be a member of the Union Cabinet.
"Raja has presided over what is easily the 'mother of all scams' - the 2G Spectrum scam, that has caused, according to calculations worked out by no less an authority than the Comptroller & Auditor General of India, loss to the Indian exchequer to the extent of Rs. 1,76,379 crore," she said.
She also called Raja DMK's poster-boy in Delhi and added that the party "lacks morality".
The CAG report says Raja ignored the advice of the Finance Ministry, the Law Ministry and the Telecom Commission while allocating the spectrum, which was done in an arbitrary manner without giving any logic or reasons.
The report states that the eligibility criteria were changes to suit a few operators and the loss to the exchequer was more than Rs 1,70,000 crore.
The CAG report also slams TRAI for being a 'helpless spectator'. It also indicts the Department of Telecom for flouting eligibility guidelines and says of the 122 licences issued, 85 were illegal.
The DoT, the report says, sold off precious natural assets cheaply.
Jayalalithaa, a former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, is trying to use the controversy surrounding Raja to garner popular support in the state.
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