CAG report on spectrum tabled; LS adjourned

The report was placed in both the Houses amid uproar by the Opposition which demanded a JPC probe into the scam.
Updated on: 
2 min read

NEW DELHI: Government on Tuesday tabled in Parliament the CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation, whose reported extracts have created a political storm and led to the resignation of Telecom Minister A Raja.

The report was placed in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha amid uproar by the Opposition which demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the alleged scam.

It was tabled in the Lower House by Minister of State for Finance S S Palanimanickam, who belongs to the DMK, and in the Upper House by his ministerial colleague Namo Narayan Meena.

Raja, who is a member of the Lok Sabha, was not present in the House when the report was tabled as soon as it reassembled at noon after an hour-long adjournment.

The report has pegged the revenue loss to the exchequer at Rs 1.76 lakh crore due to non-auctioning of the spectrum in 2008.

After the extracts of the report came out in the media, the Opposition launched a blistering attack on the government demanding Raja's removal and a JPC probe.

Raja has maintained that he has done no wrong and distributed the licenses as per the policies followed by his predecessors since 1999.

He initially refused to resign but finally quit on Sunday after intense pressure.

Lok Sabha adjourned for the day (IANS) :

NEW DELHI: The Lok Sabha was again adjourned for the day on Tuesday and the Rajya Sabha till 2 pm as opposition MPs continued to demand a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Shouting slogans of "We want justice", opposition MPs in both houses sought a JPC probe into corruption charges, involving among others former telecom minister A. Raja who quit Sunday.

In the Rajya Sabha, the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) report for the government was tabled by Minister of State for Finance Namo Narain Meena.

The government has decided to convene an all-party lunch meeting Tuesday in an effort to end the logjam in parliament.

With Wednesday being a holiday for Eid, the Lok Sabha will now meet on Thursday.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com