2G scam: Did TR Baalu pre-empt CBI chief to protect Dayanidhi Maran?

CBI chief AP Singh today faced questions from JPC members on various aspects of the probe into the 2G scam with a DMK member asking him not to name any telecom minister, apparently to pre-empt him from naming Dayanidhi Maran.

Appearing before the joint parliamentary committee, Singh made a presentation to the members on the agency's probe into the scam.

The CBI director was asked by DMK member TR Baalu not to take the names of telecom ministers in his presentation.

Singh was talking about the period when Arun Shourie was the telecom minister. Then Baalu asked him not to take any names.

Sources said Baalu apparently made the observation to pre-empt the CBI chief from naming Dayanidhi Maran, who became telecom minister after Shourie.

Maran is in the eye of a storm after allegations that his family-owned Sun TV network received pay-offs from a Malaysian telecom firm surfaced.

JPC chief PC Chacko did not allow members to ask to many questions to the CBI director in order to allow him to complete the presentation.

The CBI chief also briefed the committee about the agency's ongoing probe into the buyout of Aircel.

At the last meeting of JPC on June 30, comptroller and auditor General Vinod Rai had also briefed the panel on the issue.

The CAG had then came in for some tough questioning on its presumptive loss of Rs1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer in 2G spectrum allocation with some members questioning its mandate of looking into a policy decision for arriving at the figure.