Raja has been vindicated, says DMK over Fin Min note on 2G

Chennai, Sep 22: Against the backdrop of the Finance Ministry note on 2G spectrum pricing, DMK, a key UPA ally, today (Sept 22) maintained that the stand taken by jailed former Telecom Minister A Raja on the issue has been ''vindicated''.

"The crux of the entire case is that Raja violated all advices by the Prime Minister and Finance Ministry. The letter (by Finance Ministry) says that the then Finance Minister had agreed to the fixed price, non-auction rule. This vindicates Raja's stand," top DMK sources said.

In a document submitted before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Finance Ministry had said that the Telecom Ministry could have gone in for auction of 2G spectrum licenses had the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram insisted on this.

Raja, who quit as Minister last year in the wake of CAG findings on losses caused to the exchequer over non-auction of spectrum, had told a court that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram had been kept in the loop.

The March 25, 2011 office memorandum by the Finance Ministry sent to the Prime Minister's Office also suggested that Chidambaram and Raja had jointly determined the price for the 2G spectrum in 2008.

The document was filed in the apex court by Janata party leader Subramanian Swamy, who has sought probe against Chidambaram for his alleged culpability in the price fixation of the spectrum, contending that CBI was only holding Raja for the loss of revenue to the exchequer in the spectrum allocation.

PTI