Why were Maran,Shourie not questioned: Raja

Launching his defence in SC,former telecom minister asked why he is supposed to be the 'villain' .

Launching his defence in the Supreme Court,former telecom minister A Raja asked why he is supposed to be the villain while there is not a whisper against his predecessors,including fellow DMK leader Dayanidhi Maran and Arun Shourie,who followed the same policy to grant 52 licences between 2002 and 2007.

Fifty-two licences were granted between 2002 and 2007 by my predecessors Arun Shourie and Dayanidhi Maran. But there is not a whisper about it. I had only followed the same policy, Rajas counsel and senior advocate T R Andhiyaarjuna told a Bench of Justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly.

I do not blame the media. I have been condemned,charged,tried and convicted by the media in their trial. There is not a day when a feature does not appear with my figure in the background. Some people even go to the extent of saying I have looted. My silence is taken almost as an admission,but it is because the matter is sub judice, the senior counsel spoke for Raja.

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Raja said political compulsions,party matters forced me to take the step (resignation).

Adding that the very fact that Parliament has not functioned since the session began was proof that extra-judicial forces were at work. He said but my stock is so low that anything I say will go against me. He criticised the CAG report on the spectrum allocation,especially the part where the auditor pegs the loss of public revenue at Rs 1.76 lakh crore. It uses a totally speculative method,banks on presumptive valuations which nobody would use and comes up with a mind-boggling figure, the senior advocate said.

The problems caused by these figures require serious consideration. They have already put in the public domain a charge that the Department of Telecom is responsible for a public loss. This issue must have been first placed before the PAC,instead it has been put before the Supreme Court to form an opinion that is not at all justified, Andhiyaarjuna said,adding that he has the highest respect for the CAGs authority.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said the designation gives law enforcement “enhanced powers to combat a group that has instilled fear through violence and intimidation”.

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