Raja ignored, defied PM on 2G spectrum sale

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had asked Telecom Minister A Raja to auction the 2G spectrum but the minister chose to ignore his advice. Raja has been claiming that the Prime Minister gave the go ahead to him. But documents with CNN-IBN nail another of Raja's lies.

It is getting tough for the Telecom Minister to hold on to his post. First the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) expose on CNN-IBN turned the heat on him and now letters, also shown first on the channel, nail his lies.

Three letters all exchanged on November 2, 2007 between the Prime Minister and Telecom Minister show just how concerned Manmohan Singh was with Raja's actions.

The Prime Minister wrote to Raja asking him to ensure fairness and transparency. He also cautioned him against taking any measures without informing the Prime Minister's Office.
"Let me know of the position before you take any further action in this regard," Singh wrote in theletter addressed to Raja.

Further in the two-page letter, Manmohan Singh objected to Raja's model of: first-come-first-serve and the 2001 pricing for sale in 2008.

The Prime Minister clearly instructed him to consider introduction of a transparent methodology like an auction and revision of the entry free
The unambiguity appeared lost on the Telecom Minister who responds to the Prem Minister the very same day, offering no real reasons for his decision. His letter remained silent on the Prime Minister's idea of an auction.

For 50 days there is no communication and then in a letter on December 26, Raja told Singh that he had received consent from then external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Solicitor General.
But the congress has been still maintaining that the matter is in the court.

"First it is a sub judice matter and second the CAG report is still to be laid on the table of the House," said Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed.

On Monday, however, the Prime Minister's Office will have to face some tough questions in the Supreme Court, which is hearing a petition on why is the Prime Minister not giving sanction to prosecute Raja despite the mounting evidence.

"The Prime Minister can't do it. He is not getting the backing from people who matter because they have got a share of the loot," said Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy.

For three years the Prime Minister has been watching the spectrum scandal play out and has been behaving like a helpless spectator much like the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. But will the prime Minister now finally behave like a king or will he bow to the compulsions of coalition dharma?