National
Raja accuses Vinod Rai of his ‘political murder’, wants him prosecuted
New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) Calling former Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) Vinod Rai a “murderer”, former Union Telecom Minister A. Raja on Saturday said Rai should be prosecuted for “cheating”.
“There was a big conspiracy that has to be probed. Vinod Rai should be prosecuted for cheating,” Raja said here at the launch of his book “2G Saga Unfolds”, wherein he has presented “my side of the story”.
Raja was last month acquitted by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in the alleged 2G spectrum allocation scam.
He held Rai guilty of his “political murder” as it was an adverse report by Rai in 2010 as the then CAG that pegged the loss to exchequer due to underselling of spectrum at Rs 1.76 lakh crore and which resulted in massive public anger against the Manmohan Singh-led UPA-II government.
Rai’s report said the licences allocated by the Telecom Ministry in 2008, then headed by A. Raja, were based on 2001 prices, causing the exchequer a massive revenue loss.
Subsequently, the Supreme Court cancelled all the licences issued to telecom companies, an FIR was lodged by the CBI and Raja was jailed along with DMK patriarch Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi and others.
Raja said in his view the 2G scandal was initially a corporate war which then turned into a political war, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been the biggest beneficiary of this war.
Asked why he had not criticised the BJP or any of its leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scathingly in the book, although he conceded that the BJP had been its biggest beneficiary, Raja said: “I have criticised Arun Jaitley and Murli Manohar Joshi but why should I jump to Narendra Modi who was sitting in Gujarat?”
Refuting allegations of going soft on the BJP, he also ruled out any friendship with the pro-Hindutva party in near future as “DMK believes in social secularism” and he could “say it with conviction”.
Raja admitted that he had a “grievance” against Congress leaders P. Chidambaram and Pranab Mukherjee for not coming out in his defence although, though both of them knew the “facts”.
However, Raja bears no ill feeling for then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who also distanced himself from Raja and his Ministry at the peak of the 2G controversy.
“In the then prevailing situation, the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) could not do anything. I think three things were responsible for it — adverse comments from the Supreme Court, some Cabinet colleagues filling his ears and pressure from the media,” Raja said.
“But I made it a point to present the first copy of this book to Dr. Manmohan Singh. It was only through his cooperation that I was able to break the telecom operators’ cartel and bring down the tariffs. When I went to see him, he embraced me and almost broke down. He realised that wrong had been done to A. Raja,” Raja added.
He said that the book should be read without any political spectacles, with just “reading glasses”, to be able to see merit in his arguments.
Raja said that his acquittal by the court had been a “relief” for the Congress but a “boon” for his party Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).
–IANS
mak/nir/dg
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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