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CBI Arrests Ex-Telecom Minister A. Raja

By Reuters

  • 02 Feb 2011

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested a former telecoms minister over an alleged telecoms scam linked to awarding mobile licences, television channels reported, in a move that could weaken the coalition government.

The former minister, Andimuthu Raja, belongs to a key regional parliamentary ally of the Congress-led government and his arrest could spark tension within a coalition hit by a series of corruption scandals.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government hopes the move will placate the opposition and break a parliamentary logjam that has stalled several major bills, but the opposition immediately said it was too little too late.

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Charges against Raja included misuse of his ministerial office and having unaccounted assets. Raja has denied any wrongdoing.

The opposition has shut down parliament since early November, demanding a joint inquiry into a government auditor's report that India potentially lost up to $39 billion in revenue when ineligible firms were given lucrative telecoms licences cheaply in 2008.

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