CHENNAI: The then Union finance minister P Chidambaram and former Union telecom minister A Raja jointly decided the price for the 2G spectrum, Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy claimed here on Tuesday.Releasing to the media copies on an alleged communication from the ministry of finance, Swamy said that he would submit the document before the 2G trial court on Dec 3 to buttress his case for inclusion of Chidambaram as co-accused in the 2G scam that caused an estimated loss of Rs1.76 lakh crore.“Meetings took place between Finance Minister and Minister of Telecommunications on May 29, 2008 and June 12, 2008 to resolve outstanding issues relating to the allocation and pricing of 2G and 3G spectrum bands,” Swamy read out from the document. He added that they met two more times in this regard on January 30, 2008 and April 9, 2008.“On April 21, 2008, Chidambaram wrote to Raja stating that there was no need for informing the prime minister regarding the fixation of prices for the spectrum allocation,” Swamy alleged.He charged that Chidambaram conspired with Raja on fixing the price.“Had there been a difference of opinion, the ministers should have approached the Cabinet,” Swamy argued. Despite the norm that the licences could not be sold for three years, they were offered to Etiasalat and Telenor at a mark-up price.On the KKNPP stir, he charged that European nations were funding the protest by inciting the gullible people through the Catholic Church. It is similar to the Mullaiperiyar row, which is being milked for political mileage in both states, he claimed.
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