Ex-Telecom Minister A Raja, a day after his acquittal in the 2G case in a strongly-worded letter to DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi has called for a payback of sorts.
“Who will punish those who tainted your 80 years of public life?” Raja asked in his letter to the 94-year-old former Tamil Nadu CM.
“Spectrum attack tainted an ideological movement (DMK). Spectrum politics gave a handle to those who couldn't shrink your governance. Spectrum battle was conceived by individuals and waged by institutions including CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee). It’s a first of its kind in history,” Raja wrote in an attempt to establish that it was not only him that suffered due to the case but the party.
Thanking the DMK president, Raja wrote, “I place the 2G verdict on your feet with gratitude. You preserved me like a foetus so I wouldn't dissolve in the spectrum battle. I'm waiting to hear your words.”
Not stopping at that, Raja also stated that the case was the reason why the UPA (United Progressive Alliance of which DMK was a partner) was wiped out of national politics. He suggested in that period, the Congress did not realise the gravity of the 'conspiracy'
“A shame that even UPA government couldn't realise it was trapped in the plot to bring it down,” he said.
Taking credit for the telecom boom, Raja wrote, “In 2009 itself we gave 59 crore mobile connections against the 60 crore target set before 2012. The spectrum cartel was broken to pave way for the Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter revolution. Calling it a crime and jailing for this will happen only in India.”
He also criticised the media for refusing to “research and see the social perspective” in the case.
The Special CBI judge OP Saini on Thursday in his verdict in all the three cases in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation said, “All accused in this case are acquitted as the prosecuting agencies CBI and ED could not prove the guilt and did not submit enough evidence to prove the crime.”
In his first press statement post-verdict, Raja had said, “I brought a revolution in the telecom sector. It is not unknown to the history that a person who did a revolution is often termed as a criminal.”
“All my actions as Telecom Minister had been for the benefit of the masses, to make wireless service more economical and widely available, in line with the National Telecom Policy (NTP) and the recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). I have felt somewhat vindicated all along even prior to this judgment because the beneficial results of my actions are evident to and being enjoyed by the nation’s public (especially the poor),” Raja had said.