Former Telecom Minister A. Raja has defended his 2008 policy to give 2G spectrum to new players, saying it was aimed at ensuring affordable services across the country.

In a statement to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, Raja said the idea was to keep entry barriers low and encourage more players to enter the sector.

He said that before his tenure there was no transparency in disclosure of spectrum availability and allocation. “This acted as a major barrier to entry of new operators and the GSM segment was virtually cartelised by the COAI (Cellular Operators Association of India). It is only as a result of my efforts that we were able to introduce new players and allocate spectrum to them,” his statement said.

“The so-called theory of conspiracy between me and some private operators has fallen flat after the combined investigation of the CBI, the ED; the Income-Tax Department could not identify a single rupee of any bribe with me or even my extended family,” he said, adding that every major decision was taken after consultation first with the DoT officers and thereafter with the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister.

He said that the controversy could have been avoided if the Government had backed its Minister and presented the case properly before the Supreme Court.

“I can only hope that if this kind of situation recurs, no other Minister is made to suffer my fate,” he concluded.

Raja has also defended his decision to allocate licences on a ‘first-come, first-served’ basis.

>thomas.thomas@thehindu.co.in

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