New Delhi:
The entrepreneur who owned telecom Aircel till 2006 has alleged that Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran threatened him into selling his company to an industrialist who Mr Maran was allegedly close to.
C Sivasankaran's statement against Mr Maran was recorded on Monday by the CBI as part of its investigation into the 2G scam. At the heart of the controversy is an alleged nexus between politicians and telephone operators who bought the rights to mobile networks and frequency for throwaway prices.
Mr Maran's office refused to comment on the latest allegations but earlier this week, Mr Maran denied that he had pressured or harassed Mr Sivasankaran to sell Aircel. He has also said that he does not own any shares in Sun TV.
Mr Maran served as Telecom Minister between 2004 and 2007. His successor, A Raja, who is also from the DMK, is in jail for conspiracy and cheating. Lately, Mr Maran's conduct has been questioned because of Mr Sivasankaran's allegation that he was forced to sell Aircel to T Anandakrishnan, an industrialist based in Malaysia who owns the Maxis group. Mr Sivsankaran claims that Mr Maran harassed him repeatedly by refusing to grant him the licences necessary to expand his business. Mr Sivasankaran claims that he was also pressured to sell Aircel for a hefty discount. Once Maxis took over Aircel, it was given 14 licences. And within months, a sister concern of Maxis invested 800 crores in Sun TV, a company owned by Mr Maran's brother, Kalanidhi.
The CBI is studying whether this was a kickback for Mr Maran. It has also said that it can't go by Mr Sivasankaran's statement alone and will verify all allegations.
Sources in the government suggest that Mr Maran is being pressured to quit the government. Asked earlier this week about Mr Maran, the Prime Minister said that the CBI had been asked to do its work "without fear or favour." The CBI confirms that it has been keeping the Prime Minister's office updated on its investigation against Mr Maran, along with other aspects of the 2G scam.