NEW DELHI, Feb 2 � Opposition today termed former Telecom minister A Raja�s arrest as �too little too late� and said it has strengthened the demand for a JPC probe into the 2G spectrum scam even as the Congress asserted that the development had not dented credibility of the Prime Minister, reports PTI.
Describing Raja�s arrest as �belated�, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said, �I wish the Prime Minister, instead of living in denial, had acted three years ago so that this huge, monumental loss to the public exchequer had not taken place�.
BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the arrest was �too little too late. It is very unfair to say that Raja alone had gulped Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Who are the rest of the people? BJP categorically wants to know�.
Launching a blistering attack on the government, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the arrest proved, �there is a very deep malaise behind this whole scam that needs to be investigated not only from the point of view of punishing the guilty but also to plug the loopholes in the system which was manipulated in such a big way to facilitate such a massive fraud�.
Once constituted, the JPC would have to work �with a historical frame in mind as to how the telecom policy was manipulated over all these years, how it was arbitrarily changed depending on who is getting the shares of profit. All these have to be comprehensively probed�, he said.
Maintaining that the development confirmed the need for JPC, CPI National Secretary D Raja said, �The arrest was expected. This is just the beginning. The arrest can trigger a series of questions on the role of the PMO and previous Telecom ministers�.
However, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi dismissed suggestions that Raja�s arrest has affected the credibility of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his government, saying unlike other Opposition governments, the UPA has allowed the law to take its course.
Both Yechury and Raja lambasted Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, saying his �defence� of the irregularities in the allocation of spectrum was �entirely repudiated� with the arrest.
