If you can’t sack Raja,change his portfolio: BJP to PM

From limited mandate to limited authority,the debate it seems is not ending.

From limited mandate to limited authority,the debate it seems is not ending. A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh firmly backed his embattled Telecom Minister,the BJP on Tuesday trained its guns at the PM saying he doesnt have the political authority to sack A Raja and sought at least a change in the ministers portfolio. While saying so,the main opposition party alluded to the coalition compulsions of Singh and the Congress given the fact he and his party have to keep ally DMK in good humour.

We are aware of your limitations as far as political authority is concerned. You cannot dismiss A Raja. At least change his department so that a fair inquiry is done into allegations of corruption in allocation of 2G spectrum, BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said. He criticised the Prime Minister for virtually giving a clean chit to Raja who he said had committed the biggest fraud by claiming that the TRAI had approved the policy on 2G auctions. Taking forward his partys argument that the Prime Minister evaded answers to crucial questions,he said the PM was conspicuously silent on critical infrastructure-related issues.

He identified five areas power sector,national highway projects,agriculture,Air India and BPL data where he said the government was lagging behind or lacking clarity. While power generation is going down,the Planning Commission has lowered the target of constructing 20 km of highways a day set by Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath.

Same is the case with agriculture sector. Agriculture income is going down and inflation is having a serious impact on the sector. There is no clarity on the exact number of BPL families in the country as five different estimated numbers are being talked about which varies from 27.3 per cent to 77 per cent,he said.

HC rejects plea to monitor 2G probe

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition that requested it to monitor the CBI probe into the alleged role of Union Communications Minister A Raja in the 2008 sale of 2G spectrum licences.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice M B Lokur dismissed the petition filed by two city-based NGOs Telecom Watchdog and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation. The court said it would be unfair to not show confidence in the CBI while it was still probing the issue.