New Delhi:
Telecom Minister A Raja has stressed again this morning that he will not resign despite building pressure from the Opposition, and some say, from the Congress party, with whom Raja's party, the DMK, is in an alliance.
Raja, speaking exclusively to NDTV, said that he cannot comment on a report by the government's auditor that has allegedly held him responsible for grossly undervaluing 2G spectrum in 2008 and costing the government close to Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the report will be tabled in Parliament. (
Watch: Jayalalithaa has no moral right to seek my resignation, says Raja)
"The CAG report doesn't come to me, I cannot comment on it," said Raja. He also said that the Opposition has no moral right to demand his resignation. He singled out J Jayalalithaa, the chief of the AIADMK. In an interview this week, she offered the support of her party to the UPA government at the Centre if it pushes for Raja's resignation, and is then abandoned by the DMK, which provides the UPA with 18 MPs.
Her offer also annoyed DMK chief M Karunandihi who chose to respond to it in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. "We alone know if doors will open for the AIADMK or not," he said.
The DMK chief has openly backed A Raja, he says, "We're not guilty. Let the report be tabled, then we will respond."
The process followed for the allocation of 2G spectrum is being studied by the Supreme Court. In 2008, Raja skipped an auction of 2G spectrum, choosing instead to give licenses to companies whose eligibility has been questioned - some were real estate developers, for example, and resold their licenses at massive gain.
In court on Wednesday, the Government bravely defended Raja, arguing that he followed the same policies as that of his predecessors, and that by keeping 2G rates low, he allowed for greater tele-density and cheaper prices for consumers.
In this winter session of Parliament, the Opposition has demanded more aggressively than in the past that Raja be sacked. Parliament has not been allowed to function as the Opposition insists that Raja be fired, and that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigate his alleged role in what's described as one of India's biggest and most-blatant scams.
On record, the Congress has said that it has to respect the
dharma of coalition politics, but privately, sources say the Congress is lobbying with DMK chief M Karunanidhi to let Raja go.
Sources also say the Prime Minister may call Karunanidhi upon his return to India today from the G-20 summit in Seoul to discuss the Raja controversy.