Now it’s PM turn after Home Minister P Chidambaram

NEW DELHI: After the home minister P Chidambaram over 2G spectrum issue, the BJP has now targeted the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over a letter written to him by former telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran asking him to stay off the spectrum pricing issue.

This letter allegedly suggests that the PM himself allowed the telecom ministry to keep spectrum pricing out of the terms of reference of the Group of Ministers in 2006.
Manmohan Singh met Dayanidhi Maran on February 1 and then he allegedly allowed the Telecom Ministry to keep out of 2G pricing.

In January 2006, the PM had approved, in principle, a GoM to look into the release of additional spectrum from the defence ministry for private telecom players. The group’s terms of reference included the issue of pricing of scarce 2G spectrum.

The GoM was supposed to submit its recommendations in June 2006, after which the government was to decide a policy and price for selling the spectrum.

BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said that the Prime Minister owes an explanation to the nation as it is not a matter of being a mute spectator, but of complicity.