Ready to answer any query from CBI: Arun Shourie

Former telecom minister Arun Shourie today said he was ready to answer any queries from CBI on the second-generation mobile telephony bandwidth scam during his tenure.

"I would be very happy to answer. No difficulty in that. I can even answer in the public hall here. If they invite me to their place...They are also always welcome to my house. No problem," the senior BJP leader told reporters here.

Shourie said he would report to the public openly about the inquiry if the CBI conducted it against him.

Asked whether CBI, probing the 2G Spectrum scam, was going in the right direction, he said, "much of the evidence regarding front companies of Raja was given to CBI almost a year ago. That much I can tell you through personal knowledge."

"Directors and locations were given. They have certainly taken their time to do it. They are moving energetically and I hope they keep focus on this particular thing and not get disturbed. I don't know what they are doing inside," he said.

On the allotment of 2G spectrum during Raja's tenure, Shourie alleged that he had changed the basis of 'first come first serve'.

"Then he (Raja) also changed the priority list to favour one firm," he said, adding, he had also not followed 'any principle' during spectrum allocation.

"He (Raja) broke the entire system," Shourie said, adding, during NDA rule, everything was done as per the law.

The BJP leader said during his tenure issues like policy decisions, projects and important matters related to any allotment were referred to the group of ministers, which then would go to Cabinet for its approval.

Earlier, in his Nani Palkhivala Memorial lecture, Shourie welcomed Supreme Court order on monitoring the CBI probe into 2G mobile bandwidth allocation from 2001.

"They (agency) can examine from 2001. However, they should not get distracted from the current scam and delay in prosecuting Raja," he said.

He also sarcastically asked Raja not to "follow in his footsteps" and to turn an "approver".

Shourie also said new reforms should be drawn up so that the people involved in corruption would get due punishment through courts such as putting them behind bars instead of just imposing fine on them.

"They (culprits) should be barred from public life," he added.

Shourie also asked the media to conduct 'proper investigation' before publishing or telecasting scam-related issues.