New Delhi, November 19 (Agencies): The 2G spectrum scam is the BJP’s favourite stick to beat the ruling combine but now the scam could boomerang on itself as the CBI has registered an FIR into spectrum allocation during BJP leader Pramod Mahajan’s tenure as telecom minister. Sources say that the CBI believes Pramod Mahajan allegedly caused a Rs 565 crore loss over 6 years.
The FIR named then telecom secretary Shayamal Ghosh, the then deputy director general JR Gupta and three companies including Vodafone and Airtel.
The charges that the public servants entered into a criminal conspiracy with private companies and misused their office to favour the companies. What has embarrassed the BJP more is the CBI’s finding that public servants with the approval of the then minister hurriedly allocated additional spectrum on 31.02.2002, causing cumulative loss of 508 crores.
THe CBI has also said Pramod Mahajan was not named in the FIR since he expired.
BJP spokeperson Prakash Javdekar said that the Congress using CBI as a political tool.
On Saturday, the CBI carried out raids at 5 places including Mumbai, Gurgaon and Delhi offices of Airtel and Vodafone and the residences of the two retired bureaucrats. Both Airtel and Vodafone issued statements assuring cooperation. With this FIR, BJP is firmly caught in the 2G net. The 4 page FIR makes it clear that BJP has escaped direct indictment only because Mahajan is no more. But Arun Shourie, BJP’s another leader is still being probed. Sources say nothing has been found against him so far but CBI’s official position is that the enquiry against Shourie is still on.
The FIR named then telecom secretary Shayamal Ghosh, the then deputy director general JR Gupta and three companies including Vodafone and Airtel.
The charges that the public servants entered into a criminal conspiracy with private companies and misused their office to favour the companies. What has embarrassed the BJP more is the CBI’s finding that public servants with the approval of the then minister hurriedly allocated additional spectrum on 31.02.2002, causing cumulative loss of 508 crores.
THe CBI has also said Pramod Mahajan was not named in the FIR since he expired.
BJP spokeperson Prakash Javdekar said that the Congress using CBI as a political tool.
On Saturday, the CBI carried out raids at 5 places including Mumbai, Gurgaon and Delhi offices of Airtel and Vodafone and the residences of the two retired bureaucrats. Both Airtel and Vodafone issued statements assuring cooperation. With this FIR, BJP is firmly caught in the 2G net. The 4 page FIR makes it clear that BJP has escaped direct indictment only because Mahajan is no more. But Arun Shourie, BJP’s another leader is still being probed. Sources say nothing has been found against him so far but CBI’s official position is that the enquiry against Shourie is still on.
