New Delhi: Former Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) chairman Pradip Baijal has alleged that then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked him to go along with the 2G case.
Baijal has made the claim in his self-published book 'The Complete Story of Indian Reforms: 2G, Power and Private Enterprise - A Practitioner's Diary'.
Baijal, who was probed for several years for his role in the 2G scam, claimed that UPA II ruined his reputation to divert corruption charges against its coalition government.
In the book, Baijal refers to the alleged warning from Singh, "They (CBI) had warned me in each case (cases related to 2G scam and disinvestments) that I would be harmed if I didn't cooperate. Incidentally, this was exactly what the eminent economist Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) had told me would happen if I did not cooperate in their scheme of things in the 2G case."
CBI wanted me to implicate Ratan Tata and Arun Shourie in 2G case: Pradip Baijal
It is worth noting that Baijal was also implicated in irregularities in disinvestment of Laxmi Vilas Palace Hotel as he was disinvestment secretary when the property was sold to Bharat Hotels in 2002.
Baijal wrote that he warned the government of the consequences, “I had warned many in UPA II that all enquiries against me and others, would lead back to the PM, as he had indeed approved the actions of ministers and ministries in his government. This is precisely what was proved later. The actions of Dayanidhi Maran/(A) Raja/coal minister were approved by him, and he is equally culpable for all the losses computed by the CAG."
Baijal claimed in his book that UPA government removed important files from TRAI and telecom ministry to hide its wrongdoings when scandal hit the headlines in 2009-2010.
Baijal has also alleged in his book that Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) forced him to implicate industrialist Ratan Tata and former Cabinet minister Arun Shourie if he wanted to save himself.
