Post telegrams seeking Raja's sack, Jayalalithaa tells people

Chennai (IANS)- AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa Wednesday called upon Indians to send one-line telegrams to President Pratibha Patil demanding the dismissal of tainted union Telecom Minister A. Raja, who belongs to arch rival DMK.

In a statement here Wednesday, Jayalalithaa said according to the the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the allotment of 2G spectrum to mobile telephony operators had caused a loss of Rs.176,379 crore to the Indian exchequer.

"Now the president officially knows that a loot of Rs.176,379 crore has taken place. It is now for the people to let the president know how they feel about it," she said.

"I, therefore, call upon all Indians to send a one-line telegram to the president of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Delhi, demanding the dismissal of Raja. This has to be done if India is to be saved. People power alone can save the nation," she said.

She claimed the 2G spectrum scam outclasses the British colonial loot of India by 200 times.

"Raja's pro-active role in this massive, unprecedented scam has been made public not merely by opposition politicians and the media but by the Central Vigilance Commission, the high court of Delhi, the Supreme Court and the CAG," Jayalalithaa added.

The Congress party that dominates the ruling coalition in Delhi has not been able to muster the courage to demand his resignation as it is worried about the government's fall if the DMK pulls out of the coalition, she said.

The DMK, with 16 MPs in the Lok Sabha, is a key ally of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance at the centre.

Referring to the resignation of Shashi Tharoor from the union ministry in connection with the Indian Premier League (IPL) and on Tuesday of Suresh Kalmadi from a Congress post and Ashok Chavan as Maharashtra chief minister on charges of corruption, Jayalalithaa said the Congress had tried to give the impression of ensuring probity in public life.

"But despite trying to project itself as a role model for impeccable public morality, the Congress has not emerged with a halo around it. The reason for this is the continued presence of Raja in the union cabinet," she said.