AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa on Wednesday demanded the dismissal of Union IT and Telecom Minister A. Raja over the alleged multi-crore 2G spectrum telephony scam.
In a statement here, she said CBI official, Vineet Agarwal, who had investigated the case but was subsequently transferred, should be brought back to continue the probe.
The CBI inquiry into the spectrum scam was necessitated following “a serious indictment” by the Central Vigilance Commission, she said.
The Comptroller and Auditor General had, in its report too, concluded that the faulty procedures adopted by Mr. Raja in the sale of 2G spectrum had caused a loss of at least Rs. 26,000 crore to the government, Ms. Jayalalithaa said.
The Delhi High Court, hearing a case relating to the sale of 2G spectrum had observed the first-cum-first—served procedure adopted by Raja was akin to the “sale of cinema tickets”, she said.
Mr. Raja had openly flouted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s written directions to take the PM’s clearance before embarking on the sale of 2G spectrum, she alleged.
In spite of so much “damning evidence” Raja was not only allowed to continue in office but also the CBI officer probing the case had been transferred, the AIADMK chief said.
The Congress chose to sacrifice Shashi Tharoor in the IPL controversy, which was a private issue, but when it came to Mr. Raja, who had been accused of causing enormous loss to the government, he was allowed to continue, she added.
Showing posts with label AIADMK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AIADMK. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Fuel price hike: AIADMK state-wide protest on March 6
Demanding an immediate rollback of the fuel price hike, AIADMK today announced that it would hold a state-wide demonstration on March 6 over the issue.
Party leader Jayalalithaa said protests would also be held in states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka and Puducherry, where her party was functioning.
“At a time when the country was expecting budgetary measures to curb price rise, the Centre has increased excise and customs duties on fuels, resulting in their prices going up,” she said in a statement here.
“The primary focus of the Centre and states at this point of time should have been on controlling price rise,” she said.
The hike had already resulted in a 20 per cent increase in fares of autorickshaw, lorry and private vehicles, she said, adding that this would further lead to an increase in prices of essential commodities, affecting lower income groups.
Various wings of AIADMK would take part in the protest, to be headed by different leaders of the party, she said.
Party leader Jayalalithaa said protests would also be held in states like Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka and Puducherry, where her party was functioning.
“At a time when the country was expecting budgetary measures to curb price rise, the Centre has increased excise and customs duties on fuels, resulting in their prices going up,” she said in a statement here.
“The primary focus of the Centre and states at this point of time should have been on controlling price rise,” she said.
The hike had already resulted in a 20 per cent increase in fares of autorickshaw, lorry and private vehicles, she said, adding that this would further lead to an increase in prices of essential commodities, affecting lower income groups.
Various wings of AIADMK would take part in the protest, to be headed by different leaders of the party, she said.
Opposition steps up offensive on price hike
Sensing an opportunity to expose the lack of unity in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the issue of hike in the taxes on petroleum products, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Opposition is drawing up plans to embarrass the government.
The BJP also plans to take Opposition unity on this issue to a new plane even as the Left parties decided to step up pressure on the government leading to its March 12 rally in the capital against rise in the prices of essential commodities.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the “arrogance of power” displayed in his assertion that there would be no rollback of the increased taxes on petroleum products announced in the budget.
On Wednesday the party would plan its floor strategy on this issue and other subjects at a meeting of National Democratic Alliance leaders.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said the party did not accept the argument offered by the government to justify the hike in petroleum products.
In the context of the rise in prices of food items, he said, the effect of the hike on petrol and diesel prices would be felt and cannot be minimised. “People will be put to great suffering if there is further rise in prices, of food items in particular,” he told The Hindu.
As for the Opposition strategy in Parliament, he said while the CPI(M) was trying to bring non-Congress secular parties together, on the issue of price rise, the entire Opposition was agitated and last week’s development in Parliament was an expression of that.
After Tuesday’s strike in Kerala against the hike in fuel prices, the Left Front will hold week-long demonstrations across West Bengal. Between March 3 and 9, the Left parties will conduct processions in various places.
Separately, trade unions across the political spectrum have decided to go on a mass agitation in different parts of the country in the form of road and rail blockades, and satyagraha to protest the rise in prices of essential commodities and now the hike in petroleum products.
All India Trade Union Congress general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta, MP, told The Hindu, that for the first time all trade unions including those affiliated to the Congress and the BJP would agitate on March 5. Lakhs of workers will offer arrest in metropolitan and industrial centres in the country.
Cut motion
The BJP said the party wants to use a cut motion during the vote on the Finance Bill in the second part of the budget session less as a tool to defeat the government and more to show up the fissures in the UPA as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Trinamool Congress have both demanded a rollback of the tax hike.
The party is hoping that Opposition unity would take place automatically and on the spur of the moment as it materialised when one party after another walked out during the budget presentation on February 26 in the Lok Sabha.
The BJP also plans to take Opposition unity on this issue to a new plane even as the Left parties decided to step up pressure on the government leading to its March 12 rally in the capital against rise in the prices of essential commodities.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the “arrogance of power” displayed in his assertion that there would be no rollback of the increased taxes on petroleum products announced in the budget.
On Wednesday the party would plan its floor strategy on this issue and other subjects at a meeting of National Democratic Alliance leaders.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said the party did not accept the argument offered by the government to justify the hike in petroleum products.
In the context of the rise in prices of food items, he said, the effect of the hike on petrol and diesel prices would be felt and cannot be minimised. “People will be put to great suffering if there is further rise in prices, of food items in particular,” he told The Hindu.
As for the Opposition strategy in Parliament, he said while the CPI(M) was trying to bring non-Congress secular parties together, on the issue of price rise, the entire Opposition was agitated and last week’s development in Parliament was an expression of that.
After Tuesday’s strike in Kerala against the hike in fuel prices, the Left Front will hold week-long demonstrations across West Bengal. Between March 3 and 9, the Left parties will conduct processions in various places.
Separately, trade unions across the political spectrum have decided to go on a mass agitation in different parts of the country in the form of road and rail blockades, and satyagraha to protest the rise in prices of essential commodities and now the hike in petroleum products.
All India Trade Union Congress general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta, MP, told The Hindu, that for the first time all trade unions including those affiliated to the Congress and the BJP would agitate on March 5. Lakhs of workers will offer arrest in metropolitan and industrial centres in the country.
Cut motion
The BJP said the party wants to use a cut motion during the vote on the Finance Bill in the second part of the budget session less as a tool to defeat the government and more to show up the fissures in the UPA as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Trinamool Congress have both demanded a rollback of the tax hike.
The party is hoping that Opposition unity would take place automatically and on the spur of the moment as it materialised when one party after another walked out during the budget presentation on February 26 in the Lok Sabha.
