CBI raids his Ministry; Raja fights to keep his job

New Delhi: The alleged irregularity in allotting wireless radio spectrum to telecommunication firms, which is said to have caused a Rs 22,000-crore loss to the public exchequer, has led Opposition parties to demand the resignation of Communications Minister A Raja.

The BJP has demanded that Raja be sacked after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at his ministry to probe the controversial spectrum allotment.

"There is no reason, moral, ethical or political, for Raja to continue as minister," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

"We demand that the prime minister (Manmohan Singh) sack Raja," Prasad told reporters, maintaining that anomalies in spectrum allocation had figured in parliamentary debates as well as the media during the past few months.

The CBI should be given a free hand in the investigations, he said.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) similarly wanted Manmohan Singh to "ensure accountability" in the controversial spectrum allotment issue.

"It is shocking that Raja has reiterated that he will continue in office despite the investigation," the party's central committee said in a statement, reacting to Raja's refusal to quit office.

"It is up to the prime minister to take appropriate measures to ensure accountability in the case," CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury told reporters.

The CBI on Thursday raided the office of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) on suspicion that mobile phone network licences were awarded to companies below the market rates.

It alleged that there was a "criminal conspiracy" between some officials and private companies in the allotment of wireless radio spectrum.

J Jayalalithaa, chief of AIADMK, the main opposition party in Tamil Nadu, has also asked Manmohan Singh to sack Raja, who belongs to the ruling DMK.

AIADMK had raised the issue of alleged corruption in the allotment of spectrum by Raja as the telecom minister during the UPA's previous term.

"Raja should be removed from the minister's post," Jayalalithaa said in a statement in Chennai.

Raja has ruled out resignation saying he stands by his decisions on spectrum licensing.

"The question of my resignation does not arise. All decisions on spectrum licensing have been taken in accordance with procedures laid down by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) and in consultations with the prime minister," he has said.

"Licences were issued in accordance with the law. I had no external pressure to deviate from the law," he said.

The CBI has registered a case against unknown telecom officials and private companies.

A CBI spokesman said the accused officials had put a cap on the number of applicants, against the recommendations of TRAI and "awarded licences to companies on first-come-first-served basis at the rates of 2001 without any competitive bidding".

The CBI on Thursday conducted searches at the Wireless Planning Cell (WPC) and the office of deputy director general (access services) at Sanchar Bhawan, the ministry's headquarters.

The agency on Friday said nobody has been detained for question and some "incriminating documents" seized in the raid were being examined.

"These documents are voluminous and it would take time to analyse them. We will also consult legal advisors," a CBI official said.