2G spectrum scam: Sack A Raja immediately, demands CPI(M)

The CPI(M) today asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to immediately sack communication and IT minister A Raja as he has "categorically refused" to quit in the wake of the alleged 2G spectrum allocation scam.

"Since he (Raja) has categorically refused to quit voluntarily, the polit bureau of the CPI(M) demands that the prime minister act urgently" as his continuation as a minister has become "untenable", a CPI(M) statement said ïn New Delhi.

Maintaining that it was of the "firm opinion" that Raja be dropped, the Marxist party said it was "implicit that his continuation in the council of ministers is impacting the progress of the investigations".

It said media reports "actually confirm this, as a meeting was 'arranged' between CBI's investigating officers and Raja's counsel".

"There is no way that this issue can be pushed under the carpet. The Supreme Court bench itself had observed adversely on the failure of the CBI to question the minister," the party said.

As "increasing evidence of the scam (was) tumbling out", it said the comptroller and auditor general's report itself had estimated a loss of Rs1,76,000 crore to the public exchequer.

A former telecom secretary has now "publicly claimed that the inister had allegedly tried to force him to agree to the course of allocating 2G spectrum which he refused. And subsequently, the minister ensured the course he had chosen which has resulted in this mega scam", the CPI(M) said.