Former Telecom Minister A Raja and his DMK party colleague Kanimozhi on Thursday were euphoric after the Delhi court’s verdict acquitted them in the mega 2G scam. While Raja said he was a victim of a conspiracy and the entire case was ‘cooked’ up, Kanimozhi stated that her stand has been vindicated and described her last six years as “harrowing” and “excruciating”.
Surrounded by jubilant DMK workers after the court’s verdict, Raja, who was at the centre of the allegations in the scam, said, “I am very happy with this (verdict) but will later come down heavily on all the wrong that has been done”.
“The last seven years have not been easy for me. You have been accused of something that you have not done. This means a lot to my party, DMK. This will enforce the cadre,” said Kanimozhi.
Raja said his actions were for the benefit of masses and that bringing competition in the telecom sector had sent mobile call charges to
rock-bottom levels. “My firm belief in the rightfulness of my actions as well as my faith in our nation’s justice system has been validated today,” he said in a statement.
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It’s conspiracy, say Raja, Kanimozhi
He said his decision for allocation of spectrum, or radiowaves that carry mobile voice signals, were in line with the National Telecom Policy and recommendations of the sectoral regulator TRAI.
Raja said he had, in fact, brought a “revolution” in the telecom sector. “I have felt somewhat vindicated all along even prior to this judgment because the beneficial results of my actions are evident to and being enjoyed by the nation’s public (especially the poor),” he said.
Raja blamed vested interests for propagating the presumptive loss theory. “Vested interests manipulated public perception by leveraging the media and sensationalising fabricated allegations,” he said. “It has been repeatedly proven that the presumptive loss to the exchequer which formed the basis for the conspiracy theorists to run amok, was cooked up.”
Raja claimed that the trial court judge had repeatedly observed that his evidence was “cogent, credible and consistent with the official records, in contrast with the evidence of the prosecution witnesses whose evidence has been rejected as untrustworthy”.
“The learned judge has held that it is not just a case of the prosecution failing to prove its allegations, but a case where the prosecution case itself was false, which was my submission from the very first day.” He went on to thank his party leader and DMK cadre for their unflinching support during the “dark period” of his life which include 15 months in jail.
Describing her last six years, Kanimozhi, now a Rajya Sabha member, said, “There is no evidence against me and justice has been delivered. The last six years have been harrowing to say the least...I owe a debt of gratitude to my family and party workers who were a pillar of support to me and stood by me during these six excruciating years,” she told mediapersons after the verdict was pronounced.
Kanimozhi was accused of conniving with Raja and other co-accused in “parking” illegal gratification of Rs 200 crore in Kalaignar TV Pvt ltd, of which she was a promoter. Expressing relief and joy, Kanimozhi said, “I have been waiting these last six years for this day.”
Kanimozhi said now that the 2G episode was behind her she will do all she can to strengthen the party and work for the people of Tamil Nadu. The DMK MP said she always believed that she would see the light at the end of the tunnel. “To be falsely accused for a notional loss of 176 thousand crores to appease the (then) Opposition that was stalling the Parliament is atrocious,” she said.
Kanimozhi said she was made the accused just because she was a director in a company (Kalaignar TV) for only about 20 days, and where she had neither attended even a single board meeting nor signed a single document. DMK chief M Karunanidhi had personally visited his daughter Kanimozhi at Tihar Jail where she was lodged and wept publicly.