2G spectrum scam: CBI questions Niira Radia, but at home

w Delhi:  In a break from standard practice, the CBI is questioning PR executive Niira Radia at her South Delhi home.

Usually, the CBI summons people for interrogation to its headquarters. However, sources in the agency say that because Radia is a woman, officials felt that it may be easier and more comfortable to meet her at her house.

Radia is believed to be one of the key pieces in the complex political and economic puzzle of the 2G scam.  In 2008, A Raja as Telecom Minister gave mobile licenses to companies that were new to the telecom sector. Last month, the government's auditor said Raja's policies cost the government close to 21.76 lakh crores. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) faulted Raja for undervaluing spectrum to favour companies who were largely ineligible for 2g spectrum.  The seething assessment forced Raja to resign from the government.

Radia, who represents some of India's biggest companies through her PR firms, is accused of lobbying hard to ensure Raja became Telecom Minister in 2009 after the Congress led- UPA won  the general elections.  Radia's phones were tapped in 2008 and 2009  - the government has told the Supreme Court that it sanctioned the tapping on the basis of a complaint that questioned the scale and fortune of Radia's massive business empire. What started out as an income tax-related case has built upto a Godzilla of a controversy.

Radia's many conversations with Raja, as also chats with clients like Ratan Tata, are among 5900 phone transcripts now being studied by the CBI as it tries to indict the different bureaucrats, politicians and industrialists who may have colluded in the 2G scam. Tata has sued the government in the Supreme Court for leaking the tapes to the media - he has alleged invasion of privacy. Tata has said he has no objection to any investigation, and is happy to cooperate with the government, but he believes the government should identify and punish those within who allowed the Radia tapes to be shared with the media.

Radia's homes and offices were raided a few weeks ago. So were Raja's, and those of his associates in Delhi and Tamil Nadu. The CBI says it has recovered incriminating documents and hard drives that will form critical evidence. Raja is to be questioned by the CBI later this week. (Read: CBI raids Niira Radia, Pradip Baijal) | (Read: Am not in hiding, says Raja after CBI summons)

The 2G scam has been used by the Opposition to attack the government and in particular the Prime Minister for shielding corruption. The Opposition wants a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), which would consist of members of different political parties, to conduct a formal inquiry into the scam. However, the government has said this is not required because several inquiries by the CBI and agencies like the Enforcement Directorate  are already in progress. 

The PM has said that in order to prove that he "has nothing to hide", he is willing to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), an unprecedented move. Headed by the BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi, the PAC will follow up on the report of the government's auditor on the 2G scam.  However, the Opposition says that this is not sufficient. The PAC, it argues, has a mandate limited to the auditor's report, and the scale of the 2G scam demands an unrestricted inquiry. (Read: PM says willing to appear before PAC | Congress suffers from BJP phobia, says Jaitley)