Not against the auction of 2G licences says Joshi

New Delhi, Nov 4: Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman MM Joshi asked Manmohan Singh for not auctioning the 2G licences. He claimed that he was not against the auction but wanted to ensure that PSUs such as MTNL and BSNL did not miss out.

Joshi criticized the UPA government's favour in the auctioning and said that the scam took place because of government's involvement. UPA government and its ministers favoured the "firstcome-first-served" policy.

"It's not my opinion that matters here. The issue is why the government did not go for an auction and gave away spectrum at 2001 prices," said Joshi. Joshi wanted that Prime Minister should protect the interests of PSUs and the other genuine players in the telecom sector.

He was quoted as saying, "Perhaps, this can be achieved by ensuring a level playing field through a licensing policy which earns revenue to the government."

Rashid Alvi, congress spokesperson opposed the Joshi's point of view and was quoted as saying, "We can send him a copy of the letter he had written to the PM in 2007. He wrote that new players should get opportunity but did not specify which new players. He clearly said that spectrum should not be auctioned and, if it happens, it would damage the BSNL and MTNL."

OneIndia News