New Delhi:
The UPA has blinked on taking on its key ally the DMK over Telecom Minister A Raja's alleged involvement in a scam over the allotment of 2G spectrum. Raja belongs to the DMK, a key ally in the Union government. And on Monday, DMK chief M Karunanidhi made it clear to Sonia Gandhi that Raja stays, even as the Opposition's demands for his resignation get louder everyday. After that meeting with Karunanidhi, Gandhi held an unscheduled meeting with the Prime Minister.
Karunanidhi told NDTV on Monday evening, "Raja is a Dalit. That's why canards are spread against him."
In Parliament on Monday, the BJP and the AIADMK demanded that the Prime Minister make a statement on the issue. Raja is accused of costing the government close to 69,000 crores by choosing not to auction 2g spectrum in 2007. Instead, 9 operators were awarded licenses in 2008.
The CBI is already investigating the case. But the Opposition has got fresh ammunition after a report in the Pioneer, a daily newspaper, that states that the government has transcripts of conversations between A Raja and a prominent corporate lobbyist pushing the cause of one specific operator. Sources have told NDTV that the government is concerned about the charges.
But it's in an awkward position - the DMK has 18 MPs and is also an ally of the Congress' in Tamil Nadu, where there is talk of Karunanidhi bringing forward the next elections for the state to December. Not true says, Karunanidhi, adding, 'We are not in a hurry."
On record, then, the Congress is still backing Raja. "There is no question of shielding ...and this has been discussed in Parliament... and this has been revived. There is nothing in the realm of evidence and proof," said Abhishek Manu Singhvi, spokesperson for the Congress.