NEW DELHI, July 25 � Former Telecom Minister A Raja today sought to rope in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the 2G scam case, telling a court that the issue of dilution of equity by spectrum licencees was discussed with them, reports PTI.
Defending himself against corruption charges in the 2G scam, the 47-year-old DMK MP also submitted before Special CBI Judge OP Saini that there was nothing wrong in his decision of not auctioning 2G spectrum and that he was merely following the policies pursued by his predecessors and the NDA government. �I have implemented only what I have inherited,� he said.
Senior advocate Sushil Kumar appearing for Raja, now behind bars, said that when Home Minister Chidambaram was the Finance Minister he had told the Prime Minister that dilution of shares by the accused licencees to attract FDI did not amount to sale of licence.
Arguing that sale of equity was not sale of licence, Raja said he cannot be accused of corruption in the controversial 2G spectrum allocation.
�The matter (about sale of equity by spectrum licencees) was discussed between the Prime Minister and the then Finance Minister (P Chidambaram).
�The then Finance Minister( who is now Home Minister) had said in front of the Prime Minister that dilution of shares does not amount to sale of 2G licence as per the corporate law,� asserted Raja, who even said �Let the Prime Minister deny this.�
Raja further said, �When sale of equity does not amount to sale of licence, there is no question of earning profit. How can (then) be corruption there in this regard?�
Raja said if he is being prosecuted for following a certain policy then all telecom ministers since 1993 are liable to be prosecuted and should be in jail along with him as they too followed the same policy.
�If policy pursued by me was wrong, then all former telecom ministers since 1993 should also be in jail with me (Raja),� he said while opposing framing of charges against him.
