Gandhi Vadra alleged that the Modi government may have disregarded established rules and guidelines set by the Supreme Court since 2012 through this new legislation.
In a social media post in Hindi, the Congress leader posed several questions for the government, including whether there was a scam worth thousands of crores in the allocation of satellite broadband spectrum.
“Has there been a scam worth thousands of crores in the allocation of satellite broadband spectrum? Why was the new Telecom Bill passed when 143 opposition MPs were suspended? Is there any connection in this?” she asked. “Why was the rule of bidding removed in the allocation of internet spectrum from satellite through the new Telecom Bill?”
Slamming the Centre with a list of questions, Gandhi Vadra continued, “Removing the rule of bidding in allotments prevented other companies from participating in the bidding – how much loss did this cause to the national exchequer? Who got the first and most benefit from the passing of the new Telecom Bill?”
“What is the contribution of the Rs 150 crore donation received by BJP from the beneficiary corporate company in the big racket of ‘pay donation and take business’ that has been exposed in the name of electoral bonds?” she asked.
‘Understand the chronology,’ she said and pointed out that 150 crore donation was given to the BJP, then dismissal of 143 MPs, new telecom bill was passed and then there was allotment of spectrum to donor groups without bidding. “When will Modi ji tell the country, is this a coincidence (sanyog) or an experiment (prayog),” she said.
The Parliament approved the bill last December, which aims to empower the government to temporarily take control of telecom services for national security reasons and introduce a non-auction method for satellite spectrum allocation.