323 Phone lines used by Maran were in the name of BSNL chiefG.M. Chennai

323 Phone lines used by Maran were in the name of BSNL chiefG.M. Chennai


Now pressure is mounting on Union textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran to step down with the Left parties and the BJP pressing for his resignation and the Congress and DMK leadership refusing to come to his defense. Maran, under fire over allegations that he favoured service provider Aircel during his stint as telecom minister, is now caught in a fresh controversy over the alleged misuse of BSNL phone lines for the Sun network run by his brother.


However, Maran himself went on the offensive by dismissing the latest report about phone lines being diverted from his residence to benefit the Sun group as “a political conspiracy”. He demanded an apology and compensation of Rs 10 crore.


According to a petition filed in the Supreme Court, Maran allegedly forced the promoter of cellular service provider Aircel to sell out to Malaysian telecom company Maxis, which invested 599 crore in Sun DTH in return for 14 spectrum licenses.


The media report says, Maran had a virtual telephone exchange at his Boat Club house in 2007 and linked it to the Sun TV office on Anna Salai. There were 323 phone lines used by him, which were listed in the name of BSNL chief general manager, Chennai Maran denied the charges and sent a legal notice to the newspaper on Thursday demanding 10 crore compensation as well as an unconditional apology


The Left parties were the first to react to the newspaper report, which alleged that a virtual telephone exchange was run from Maran’s residence here by commandeering 323 ISDN-equipped BSNL lines for feeding digital audio and video data to Sun TV through 3.4km-long cable lines laid at government expense.


The CPM state committee passed a resolution on Thursday demanding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh remove Maran and institute a CBI inquiry into the loss to the national exchequer on account of the twin scams.


BJP’s chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was “a simple case of bribery and quid pro quo”. He reiterated the party’s demand for Maran’s resignation and called on the Prime Minister to “break his silence” and ensure a fair CBI investigation. We have to see, whether P.M. orders for a CBI probe in this case.

Whether Maran received indirect stakes from AIRCEL?

Whether Maran received indirect stakes from AIRCEL?

AFTER A RAJA former DMK Minister, the CBI’s next target in the 2G spectrum scam is Dayanidhi Maran the present Minister. Perhaps the youngest minister at 38, he served as telecom minister in UPA-1 from May 2004 to May 2007. He fell out of favour with his grand uncle, DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, but returned in 2009 as textiles minister in UPA-2. The CBI suspects he has indirect stakes in Aircel, which he allegedly promoted during his stint as telecom minister.


A CBI source told TEHELKA that there is a watertight case against Raja and DB Group MD Shahid Balwa. “We have tracked 2G spectrum money worth Rs. 200 crore, which was transferred from DB Group to DMK’s Kalaignar TV,” said a source. “We are only waiting for a reply to our letter rogatory (LR) sent to Mauritius about a month ago.” This query is about Mauritius- based Delphi Investments, which has stakes in Swan Telecom. The reply will only throw up names of some more beneficiaries in the scam. The puzzle about Unitech’s role is also more or less solved. The CBI will next investigate the allocation of spectrum during Maran’s stint.


JUSTICE PATIL’S report has also faulted Maran’s functioning. Recounting procedural lapses, the report says that Maran did not consult the Telecom Commission, the telecom department’s decision-making body, and ignored the Group of Ministers (GOM) while taking crucial policy decisions.


Intrigued by all this, the CBI is likely to summon Sivasankaran, Dr Reddy and Maxis Communications owners for questioning. The CBI is in the process of sending an LR to Malaysia to ascertain details of Maxis’ ownership, the sources say, while adding that Maran will also be questioned.


In his asset declaration for 2009-10, Maran did not appear to be particularly well-heeled, declaring only Rs.6.87 crore. He also owns a Mercedes valued at Rs. 8.10 lakh and a Toyata Innova at Rs. 12.24 lakh. His successor Raja appears to be even worse off, with assets of only Rs. 1.95 crore in 2009-10. The CBI has tracked Raja’s hidden money. Now it’s the turn of Maran.


Union textiles minister Dayanidhi Maran on Tuesday issued a legal notice to Tehelka magazine calling its report — that he had deliberately delayed clearing application for licenses of certain telecom companies in 2006 —a blatant and concocted lie. Maran, a grand nephew of former Tamil Nadu CM and DMK supremo M Karunanidhi, accused Tehelka of pursuing a jaundiced form of investigative journalism. According to the Tehelka report, Maran’s decision pressurized the telecom firm Aircel to strike a deal with Maxis. Tehelka said in a statement that it was yet to receive the notice. “We are told that Dayanidhi Maran has sent us a notice but we haven’t received it yet.


What Tehelka going to reply? we have to wait and see.