12-19-2008, 11:37 PM
Appointed Babu made PM of India is waiting for orders from Who knows who?
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>PMO was silent on complaints against Minister</b>
pioneer.com
J Gopikrishnan | New Delhi
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was reportedly informed at every step as the <b>Union Telecom Ministry, led by A Raja, kept getting involved in a series of controversial developments related to the spectrum allotment</b>. The information came from not just senior telecom officials who were alarmed by a series of indefencible decisions the Ministry had taken, but also by Congress Members of Parliament.
Yet the PMO has remained silent. On just one occasion - when some operators complained about licence valuation - did Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ask the Minister to look into their grievances. Otherwise, the Minister had a free hand. So much so that Raja recently claimed he had the full support of the Prime Minister on the controversy.
<b>Congress' Rajya Sabha member Dharam Pal Sabharwal had complained to the Prime Minister on a host of âirregularitiesâ in the Ministryâs functioning</b>. Senior telecom officials too had lodged complaints with the PMO, but they got no favourable response.
<b>"Several complaints from BSNL and Telecom Ministry had come to the Prime Minister's Office before and after signing of the controversial deal with Swan. Unfortunately, nothing happened. The PMO merely acknowledged the letters and forwarded them to the Telecom Minister, who in turn used them to hit at us,'' </b>top officials of the Telecom Ministry, who did not wish to be identified for obvious reasons, told The Pioneer.
The sources said officials of the Wireless Planning Coordination (WPC) wing of the Department of Telecom, who objected to the<b> Swan-BSNL deal</b>, were transferred overnight.
The Pioneer had on Wednesday reported that the State-owned BSNL had entered into a "limited Memorandum of Understanding'' with Swan Telecom, through which it was offering its infrastructure for virtually free to the private player.
Dharam Pal Sabharwal too had addressed a strongly-worded letter, dated November 6, to the Prime Minister on the issue. Terming the Intra-Circle Roaming Agreement "unprecedented", the MP wrote, "The BSNL, which has never done any roaming agreement with any operator, was forced to have a roaming agreement with Swan Telecom. The same favour was not extended to any other operator. I am told that the policy was made by BSNL only to suit Swan Telecom."
Demanding a thorough inquiry into the shareholding pattern of Swan, Sabharwal has complained to Singh on the transfer of WPC officials after they opposed the deal. The Congress MP said the transfer of the officials paved the signing of the deal.
The Pioneer has learnt that this letter too met the fate of the earlier missives by the telecom officials.
<b>PM has no courage to act against Raja: CPI</b>
New Delhi: Coming down heavily on the dubious spectrum deal, the CPI has said PM Manmohan Singh did not have the courage to act against Telecom Minister A Raja due to coalition politics compulsions.
âThe PM is maintaining a silence...He does not have the guts to take action against Raja due to compulsions of coalition politics. He cannot act against the mischief of his Telecom Minister,â CPI Parliamentary Party leader Gurudas Dasgupta told the media.
The CPI leader also reiterated the demand for Raja's dismissal and cancellation of the controversial deals.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>PMO was silent on complaints against Minister</b>
pioneer.com
J Gopikrishnan | New Delhi
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was reportedly informed at every step as the <b>Union Telecom Ministry, led by A Raja, kept getting involved in a series of controversial developments related to the spectrum allotment</b>. The information came from not just senior telecom officials who were alarmed by a series of indefencible decisions the Ministry had taken, but also by Congress Members of Parliament.
Yet the PMO has remained silent. On just one occasion - when some operators complained about licence valuation - did Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ask the Minister to look into their grievances. Otherwise, the Minister had a free hand. So much so that Raja recently claimed he had the full support of the Prime Minister on the controversy.
<b>Congress' Rajya Sabha member Dharam Pal Sabharwal had complained to the Prime Minister on a host of âirregularitiesâ in the Ministryâs functioning</b>. Senior telecom officials too had lodged complaints with the PMO, but they got no favourable response.
<b>"Several complaints from BSNL and Telecom Ministry had come to the Prime Minister's Office before and after signing of the controversial deal with Swan. Unfortunately, nothing happened. The PMO merely acknowledged the letters and forwarded them to the Telecom Minister, who in turn used them to hit at us,'' </b>top officials of the Telecom Ministry, who did not wish to be identified for obvious reasons, told The Pioneer.
The sources said officials of the Wireless Planning Coordination (WPC) wing of the Department of Telecom, who objected to the<b> Swan-BSNL deal</b>, were transferred overnight.
The Pioneer had on Wednesday reported that the State-owned BSNL had entered into a "limited Memorandum of Understanding'' with Swan Telecom, through which it was offering its infrastructure for virtually free to the private player.
Dharam Pal Sabharwal too had addressed a strongly-worded letter, dated November 6, to the Prime Minister on the issue. Terming the Intra-Circle Roaming Agreement "unprecedented", the MP wrote, "The BSNL, which has never done any roaming agreement with any operator, was forced to have a roaming agreement with Swan Telecom. The same favour was not extended to any other operator. I am told that the policy was made by BSNL only to suit Swan Telecom."
Demanding a thorough inquiry into the shareholding pattern of Swan, Sabharwal has complained to Singh on the transfer of WPC officials after they opposed the deal. The Congress MP said the transfer of the officials paved the signing of the deal.
The Pioneer has learnt that this letter too met the fate of the earlier missives by the telecom officials.
<b>PM has no courage to act against Raja: CPI</b>
New Delhi: Coming down heavily on the dubious spectrum deal, the CPI has said PM Manmohan Singh did not have the courage to act against Telecom Minister A Raja due to coalition politics compulsions.
âThe PM is maintaining a silence...He does not have the guts to take action against Raja due to compulsions of coalition politics. He cannot act against the mischief of his Telecom Minister,â CPI Parliamentary Party leader Gurudas Dasgupta told the media.
The CPI leader also reiterated the demand for Raja's dismissal and cancellation of the controversial deals.
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