INDIA'S TELECOM MINISTER RESIGNS AMIDST 2G SCAM

By P.Vijian

NEW DELHI, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- India's Communication and Information
Technology Minister A. Raja resigned from his post on Sunday night amidst the
controversial 2G spectrum allocation scam.

The 47-year-old politician was forced to quit after opposition lawmakers
demanded his resignation in parliament last week, forcing the house to be
adjourned several times.

He was alleged to have been involved in corruption over the 2G spectrum
allocation, given away at low prices to telecommunication operators, which had
caused huge revenue losses to the Indian government.

Since the controversy surfaced, Raja defended his decisions saying they were
done in accordance with the ministry's policies and that there were no
irregularities.

"In order to avoid embarrassment to the government and maintain peace and
harmony in parliament I have resigned.

"My conscience is clear and I have done nothing wrong," he told local media
immediately after tendering his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at
his residence.

Raja comes from the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK), headed by the
charismatic M. Karunanidhi, the chief minister of the Tamil Nadu state in south
India.
-- BERNAMA


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