New Delhi:
Sources have told NDTV that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will question former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran over his alleged role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. The CBI is also likely to question C Sivasankaran, one of the former owners of Aircel and Malaysian businessman T Ananda Krishnan, the current owner, about the grant of spectrum.
The allegation against Dayanidhi Maran is that Aircel, previously denied a telecom licence for over two years between 2006-08, was finally given one after its owners changed hands to Malaysia-based Maxis in 2008. The charge is that Maran cleared the decks only after a sister company of Maxis invested Rs 800 crore in the Maran family-owned Sun TV, which the BJP calls a conflict of interest.
In a statement issued today, Mr Maran said, "I own no shares or any interest in Sun Direct TV or Astro. I was not even a minister when Astro invested in Sun Direct TV." Mr Maran met Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal before he issued the statement.
(Full text of Dayanidhi Maran's statement) The DMK leader has rubbished the charges of corruption and said he did not favour any operator when he was the Telecom Minister between 2004 and 2008.
In a separate statement Maxis argued that there was no pressure exerted on Sivasankaran's vehicle, Siva Ventures Ltd (SVL) to sell its stake in Aircel. Maxis Communications has denied all allegations of impropriety and said there was no link between Maxis' investment in Aircel and Astro's investment in Sun Direct TV .
Mr Maran had sent a legal notice to Tehelka on Monday, calling the charges "blatantly concocted". In a statement, released through his lawyers, the Textile Minister said, "The reports published in the magazine are totally false, defamatory, derogatory and has been published with a malafide intention and ulterior motive. He has no shareholding or interest in any form in Sun-Direct TV and it is a separate legal entity and it is no way connected with its business transactions."
Jayalalithaa, BJP demand Maran's resignation
A day after asking Maran to reply to charges against him, BJP shot off a letter to CBI Director A P Singh seeking his answers to certain "very disturbing" questions on the issue in connection with the role of Maran.
"BJP demands the resignation of Maran immediately and if he does not resign, the Prime Minister should sack him," BJP General Secretary Jagat Prakash Nadda, who wrote the letter on behalf of the party, told reporters in New Delhi.
In Chennai, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa said "Maran should quit and face legal proceedings" even as she demanded the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the issue.
"I am quite sure the Prime Minister would know what has to be done and I am sure he would do it. The Prime Minister should ask for Maran's resignation from the cabinet. I am sure the Prime Minister will do it, if he has not already done it," she said.
After meeting Jayalalithaa, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat demanded a "serious investigation" into the allegations against Maran. (With PTI inputs)
NDTV would like to inform our readers and viewers that the sister group of Maxis, South Asia Entertainment Holdings Limited is an investor in NDTV Lifestyle Holdings.