The telecom ministry has become the new battleground for political parties. BJP led National Democratic Alliance is demanding that Union Telecom Minister A. Raja step down from office in the wake of a CBI probe into spectrum allocation.
But Raja hit out at the BJP on Friday saying losses due to their policies were even bigger.
“The NDA government’s decision have caused losses of around Rs 1 lakh crore till now,” said Raja.
Raja's accusations centre around NDA's decision to allocate additional spectrum without an upfront charge. Raja also alleged NDA of allocation of spectrum in the 900 Mhz band and reducing the quantum of the licence fee.
"He is completely wrong. The allotment was done through corrupt means, and facts are clear and he can't escape by arguing otherwise," said BJP leader Arun Jaitley.
Even as the CBI investigates the matter and the political slugfest continues, telecom companies are getting worried as a policy paralysis at the crucial telecom ministry can play havoc with their expansion plans.