Ousted telecom minister implicates India’s PM, FinMin in corruption scandal

Jailed former telecom minister A. Raja told the Central Bureau of Investigation that both the prime minister and the finance minister were aware of the method by which he allotted 2G telecom licenses in what has been termed the "2G telecom spectrum scam," the Indian Express reports.

According to the paper, Raja told the CBI, “whatever I did, I did in the presence of the Prime Minister and Finance Minister…"

The sale of equity by accused companies Unitech Wireless and Swan Telecom to Uninor and Etisalat respectively was approved by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Finance Minister P Chidambaram, senior counsel Sushil Kumar said. “The then Finance Minister who is now Home Minister had said before the Prime Minister that dilution of shares to attract FDI does not amount to sale of 2G licence as per the corporate law… Let the Prime Minister deny this…”

(The sale of equity in these companies has been seen as part of a complex method through which various players received spectrum at low rates and payments were allegedly to companies owned by government officials, including Raja).

The Congress Party — of which both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Finance Minister (now Home Min) P. Chidambaram are members — called Raja's claims the "desperate" plea of an accused under trial.  Meanwhile, the BJP demanded that the PM and current home minister immediately tender their resignations.

Onward….