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Yielding to the inexorable pressure that has been building up for some time, minister for IT and communications, A. Raja, stepped down at long last.
Following controversies, allegations and finally the Comptroller and Auditor General?s (CAG) report indicating irregularities and nepotism in awarding national 2G telecom licences left Raja with little choice.
The minister had also been in the firing line for having caused losses of a whopping Rs 1,400 billion to the government exchequer by awarding scarce 2G spectrum to new entrants in 2008 based on outdated policies.
However, not willing to step down till recently, DMK?s Raja said that he gave in his resignation only at the behest of his party leader M. Karunanidhi, so as to avoid embarrassment to the government and ensure that the current parliament session continues.
But despite his resignation, Raja remains defiant. He claims that he has not been responsible for any wrongdoing. ?I have decided to resign. But I have done no wrong. My conscience is very clear and I have done everything according to the law. I will prove it,? he told mediapersons after quitting.
The opposition parties are still gunning for him and are insisting on a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to investigate the 2G spectrum scam.
But so far, the government has not agreed to that demand. It has, in fact, stated that the demand for a JPC probe is ?unacceptable?. The government has also ruled out a statement by the prime minister in parliament on the resignation of Raja as demanded by the opposition.
Following the acceptance of his resignation, the telecom portfolio is to remain with Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh till a new minister is brought in, most likely after the parliament session ends on December 13.
Raja?s resignation will have several fallouts. The Enforcement Department, the Income Tax Department and the CBI are all likely to probe the new operators who have received licences outside the required parameters. This will impact many of the new operators, including international players who have invested in the country.
TRAI too is likely to recommend either a penalty clause or cancellation of licences of those operators who have failed to launch services or meet the rollout clause within the stipulated time. These recommendations are likely to include all the new players who were given licences in January 2008 by Raja.
