DMK latches onto Congress's spectrum pitch, calls BJP 'corrupt'

Citing the Congress' allegation that the Centre allotted spectrum on "first-cum-first-service (FCFS)" basis negating rules and causing losses and the Rafale issue, the DMK accused the BJP-led central government of being "corrupt."

Quoting the proverb "those who live by the sword die by the sword," DMK's organ 'Murasoli' said the BJP which claimed corruption in spectrum allocation vis-a-vis FCFS during UPA rule has followed the same norm now in microwave spectrum apportionment.

"The BJP government has shunned a Supreme Court ruling of 2012 that spectrum should be made available through a market driven process and FCFS norm should not be used hereafter," the daily alleged.

The main opposition party in Tamil Nadu also rejected Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha's recent remark that the SC order of 2012 was about access spectrum and not backhaul spectrum.

Referring to the Rafale deal, the DMK said the Opposition was making allegations of scam with "proof," and reiterated that there are no answers for questions like why state-run HAL did not find a place as an offset partner.

"The BJP government is soaked in corruption...people will not get deceived anymore by their Goebbels propaganda that there is no corruption in their government," the DMK organ alleged.

Through such propaganda the BJP was trying to portray itself as graft-free and the people cannot be taken for a ride anymore, the party said and added this was evidenced by the "anti-Modi wave across the country."

On January 14, Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera cited a Comptroller and Auditor General report that said the government allotted the spectrum in 2015 on FCFS basis in contradiction of rules.

He had claimed that the total loss caused by the government to the state exchequer was "Rs 69,381 crore, including non-recovery of charges of Rs 45,000 crore from private telecom companies for spectrum used for defence".

The report "reveals how the Modi government allotted precious microwave spectrum to its private businesses on FCFS rather than an auction, thereby flagrantly violating the 2012 Supreme Court judgement in the 2G case", he had said.

The Centre had Wednesday strongly defended administrative allocation of microwave spectrum, saying the bidding rules do not apply to backhaul airwaves, which are critical for maintaining connectivity.

Manoj Sinha had said, "I want to say that the SC order of 2012 was about access spectrum and not backhaul spectrum. It is not one service provider but all those who were genuine, were given microwave spectrum on an administrative basis, before and after the order."