Welcome

Website counter
website hit counter
website hit counters

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

SPECTRUM SCAM Seven Questions A Prime Minister who maintained an “Arm’s Length Distance” was trying to plead ignorance on the ground that he did not know . If he was “Hands On” as he now claims to be, he has to answer these questions ARUN JAITELY , S

SPECTRUM SCAM
Seven Questions
A Prime Minister who maintained an "Arm's Length Distance" was trying to plead ignorance on the ground that he did not know . If he was "Hands On" as he now claims to be, he has to answer these questions

Joint press statement issued by BJP's leaders of opposition in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha

The Prime Minister's statement daring to expose the skeletons in opposition's cupboard has set a confrontationist tone for the Monsoon session of the Parliament. The rationale behind the Prime Minister's statement cannot be understood. In the past few days the Cabinet Minister and the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs initiated a dialogue with the BJP leaders in the Parliament with the intention of ensuring the smooth conduct of business in the current Monsoon Session. Thereafter, the Finance Minister and senior Congress leader Shri Pranab Mukherjee reached out to the BJP in Parliament by meeting its senior leaders and discussing areas where the Opposition and the Government could function in a manner where the government business could be smoothly conducted and the Opposition is able to raise the issues of its concern in both Houses. We were of the opinion that for the first time in recent years the Government started on a positive note. But regrettably, an ill-advised comment by the Prime Minister has vitiated the environment for which the initiative had come from his party and government.

The possible rationale for this could be that the PM is being asked many questions, particularly in relation to his own role in the allocation of the 2G spectrum and he has very few answers to give. The Prime Minister has adopted a policy of not answering the questions raised but merely has chosen the diversionary tactics of attacking the Opposition instead.

The Prime Minister has changed his stand several times on the 2G scandal. From an initial support to his Minister Shri A. Raja, whom he defended as following a well-established policy, he then pleaded ignorance about telecom matters and informed the Parliament that he had trusted the judgment of his Ministers and when the telecom Minister Shri Raja and the then Finance Minister Shri P. Chidambaram came with an agreed proposal, he unsuspectingly accepted the same.

Yesterday, the PMO has sought to explain his Secretary's noting on the file, which indicated that an indifferent Prime Minister had chosen to look the other way and wanted to maintain an "arms length distance" from what his Government was doing. The PMO now rejects the 'arms length distance' theory and instead wants to give the impression that the Prime Minister was 'hands on' when it came to the allotment of Spectrum.

Prior to the allotment of spectrum, Shri A Raja had kept the PM informed through at least 9 letters wherein he had brought to the notice of the PM that the allocation of spectrum was not by auction and that in 2008 spectrum was being allotted at 2001 prices. He had also informed the PM that he had changed the basis of "First cum First Serve" policy which would no longer depend on the date of application but from the date of compliance i.e the date of payment of entry fee. The PM has already agreed that the then Telecom Minister A Raja and the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram had in a meeting dated 4/7/2008 explained the lower entry fee rationale to him. Government has now admitted that when some of the Companies which were issued a license and spectrum , went for issuance of additional equity in favour of some foreign entities, the then Finance Minister was fully involved and the Prime Minister was informed that the sale of equity was as per the FDI policy.

These inconsistent positions adopted by the Prime Minister makes his position far worse. A Prime Minister who maintained an "Arm's Length Distance" was trying to plead ignorance on the ground that he did not know . If he was "Hands On" as he now claims to be, he has to answer the following questions:

  1. When Dr. Dayanidhi Maran informed the Prime Minister that the entry fee would be decided by him and not by the GOM as a part of their arrangement, was it an alert that a 'hands on' PM meekly gave in to Maran's request ?
  1. Why did the PM not insist that the advice of the Law Ministry be followed and the GOM should decide the pricing of the spectrum.?
  2. Did it not strike the Hands on Prime Minister that after insisting on auction as the only fair methodology, his Finance Minister suddenly changed his stance on 15/01/2008 that let there be an auction for the future and the past be condoned.
  3. If the Prime Minister received as many as 9 letters from Mr. A Raja giving all minute details, did it not strike him that spectrum was being sold for a song., that there was nepotism in the selection of licensees and the criteria of First cum First serve was not being followed.
  4. The Prime Minister has informed the Parliament that he accepted the entry fee suggested by then Finance Minister and the Telecom Minister on 4/7/2008. This doesn't stand to reason . The spectrum had already been allotted on 11/1/2008.
  5. Most importantly, the latest disclosures now reveal that the Prime Minister was involved in the micro management of 2G spectrum and that even when two of the licensees went in for offloading their additional equity through the FDI route , he was informed about the legality of the act. Did it not strike the 'Hands on' PM that if a sale of a fraction of the shares of a Company which owned the license and the spectrum could fetch RS. 6000 Crores, how could the Government have allotted the entire spectrum at Rs.1651 Crores. This was simple economics , a subject of the PM's specialization.
  6. The rules of the game were being altered midway. Only applications filed till 25thSeptember 2007 were to be considered instead of 1st October 2007 which was the original cut-off date announced by the Ministry of Telecommunications. Did this advancement of date not appear motivated to the PM? Did the unfairness of the procedure not alert the PM.

These are important questions which we are raising and we expect the Prime Minister to answer the same.

PRINT COMMENTS

No comments:

मैं नास्तिक क्यों हूं# Necessity of Atheism#!Genetics Bharat Teertha

হে মোর চিত্ত, Prey for Humanity!

मनुस्मृति नस्ली राजकाज राजनीति में OBC Trump Card और जयभीम कामरेड

Gorkhaland again?আত্মঘাতী বাঙালি আবার বিভাজন বিপর্যয়ের মুখোমুখি!

हिंदुत्व की राजनीति का मुकाबला हिंदुत्व की राजनीति से नहीं किया जा सकता।

In conversation with Palash Biswas

Palash Biswas On Unique Identity No1.mpg

Save the Universities!

RSS might replace Gandhi with Ambedkar on currency notes!

जैसे जर्मनी में सिर्फ हिटलर को बोलने की आजादी थी,आज सिर्फ मंकी बातों की आजादी है।

#BEEFGATEঅন্ধকার বৃত্তান্তঃ হত্যার রাজনীতি

अलविदा पत्रकारिता,अब कोई प्रतिक्रिया नहीं! पलाश विश्वास

ভালোবাসার মুখ,প্রতিবাদের মুখ মন্দাক্রান্তার পাশে আছি,যে মেয়েটি আজও লিখতে পারছেঃ আমাক ধর্ষণ করবে?

Palash Biswas on BAMCEF UNIFICATION!

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALASH BISWAS ON NEPALI SENTIMENT, GORKHALAND, KUMAON AND GARHWAL ETC.and BAMCEF UNIFICATION! Published on Mar 19, 2013 The Himalayan Voice Cambridge, Massachusetts United States of America

BAMCEF UNIFICATION CONFERENCE 7

Published on 10 Mar 2013 ALL INDIA BAMCEF UNIFICATION CONFERENCE HELD AT Dr.B. R. AMBEDKAR BHAVAN,DADAR,MUMBAI ON 2ND AND 3RD MARCH 2013. Mr.PALASH BISWAS (JOURNALIST -KOLKATA) DELIVERING HER SPEECH. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLL-n6MrcoM http://youtu.be/oLL-n6MrcoM

Imminent Massive earthquake in the Himalayas

Palash Biswas on Citizenship Amendment Act

Mr. PALASH BISWAS DELIVERING SPEECH AT BAMCEF PROGRAM AT NAGPUR ON 17 & 18 SEPTEMBER 2003 Sub:- CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT ACT 2003 http://youtu.be/zGDfsLzxTXo

Tweet Please

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALASH BISWAS BLASTS INDIANS THAT CLAIM BUDDHA WAS BORN IN INDIA

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: INDIAN GOVERNMENT FOOD SECURITY PROGRAM RISKIER

http://youtu.be/NrcmNEjaN8c The government of India has announced food security program ahead of elections in 2014. We discussed the issue with Palash Biswas in Kolkata today. http://youtu.be/NrcmNEjaN8c Ahead of Elections, India's Cabinet Approves Food Security Program ______________________________________________________ By JIM YARDLEY http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/indias-cabinet-passes-food-security-law/

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALASH BISWAS TALKS AGAINST CASTEIST HEGEMONY IN SOUTH ASIA

THE HIMALAYAN VOICE: PALASH BISWAS DISCUSSES RAM MANDIR

Published on 10 Apr 2013 Palash Biswas spoke to us from Kolkota and shared his views on Visho Hindu Parashid's programme from tomorrow ( April 11, 2013) to build Ram Mandir in disputed Ayodhya. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77cZuBunAGk

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALASH BISWAS LASHES OUT KATHMANDU INT'L 'MULVASI' CONFERENCE

अहिले भर्खर कोलकता भारतमा हामीले पलाश विश्वाससंग काठमाडौँमा आज भै रहेको अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय मूलवासी सम्मेलनको बारेमा कुराकानी गर्यौ । उहाले भन्नु भयो सो सम्मेलन 'नेपालको आदिवासी जनजातिहरुको आन्दोलनलाई कम्जोर बनाउने षडयन्त्र हो।' http://youtu.be/j8GXlmSBbbk

THE HIMALAYAN DISASTER: TRANSNATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT MECHANISM A MUST

We talked with Palash Biswas, an editor for Indian Express in Kolkata today also. He urged that there must a transnational disaster management mechanism to avert such scale disaster in the Himalayas. http://youtu.be/7IzWUpRECJM

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALASH BISWAS CRITICAL OF BAMCEF LEADERSHIP

[Palash Biswas, one of the BAMCEF leaders and editors for Indian Express spoke to us from Kolkata today and criticized BAMCEF leadership in New Delhi, which according to him, is messing up with Nepalese indigenous peoples also. He also flayed MP Jay Narayan Prasad Nishad, who recently offered a Puja in his New Delhi home for Narendra Modi's victory in 2014.]

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALASH BISWAS CRITICIZES GOVT FOR WORLD`S BIGGEST BLACK OUT

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALASH BISWAS CRITICIZES GOVT FOR WORLD`S BIGGEST BLACK OUT

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALSH BISWAS FLAYS SOUTH ASIAN GOVERNM

Palash Biswas, lashed out those 1% people in the government in New Delhi for failure of delivery and creating hosts of problems everywhere in South Asia. http://youtu.be/lD2_V7CB2Is

THE HIMALAYAN TALK: PALASH BISWAS LASHES OUT KATHMANDU INT'L 'MULVASI' CONFERENCE

अहिले भर्खर कोलकता भारतमा हामीले पलाश विश्वाससंग काठमाडौँमा आज भै रहेको अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय मूलवासी सम्मेलनको बारेमा कुराकानी गर्यौ । उहाले भन्नु भयो सो सम्मेलन 'नेपालको आदिवासी जनजातिहरुको आन्दोलनलाई कम्जोर बनाउने षडयन्त्र हो।' http://youtu.be/j8GXlmSBbbk