New Delhi:
The CBI has been asked by the Supreme Court to explain why A Raja has not been questioned about his alleged role in the 2G scam.
The court said the CBI "was beating around the bush" by not questioning either Raja or the Telecom Secretary. The court said a report by the government's auditor which severely indicted Raja for deliberately undervaluing 2G spectrum should have prompted the CBI to question the former minister
"Any responsible person will question the involvement of the Minister and the Secretary and you (CBI) say that 8,000 documents have been examined. You are beating around the bush. It (questioning) was the minimum expected of the CBI. What do you take this court for?" asked the two judges hearing the 2G case.
The controversy over how 2G spectrum was allotted has cost Raja his job as Telecom Minister. A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) blamed him for costing the government losses of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore in 2008, when he chose to award licenses for 2G spectrum instead of auctioning it.
The CAG report said that Raja went against government policy and changed the deadline for applications from companies interested in 2G licenses to benefit a few companies that he allegedly favoured. Several of these companies were new players in the telecom sector and have since failed to meet "roll out obligations".
The 2G scam has paralyzed Parliament. For nearly three weeks now in this winter session, both houses have been disrupted. The Opposition has said it will not allow Parliament to function till the government agrees to a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate the scam. The government has ruled this out, not surprisingly - a Joint Parliamentary Committee has the powers to summon not only senior ministers, but even the prime minister - the government wants to avoid that.
For the last few days, there were reports that the impasse with the opposition would prompt the government to cut short the winter session, but today, that possibility was dismissed. "Parliament is scheduled till December 13. We will try our level best that they come and discuss everything in parliament," said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.
(Read: Government won't cut Parliament session short)The government's strategy is to suggest it has nothing to hide - and that if the Opposition will meet it halfway in parliament, a discussion on the 2G scam can begin.