I have nothing to hide, reiterates Raja

Former telecom minister A Raja said on Friday he would cooperate with the Central Bureau of Investigation BI to prove his innocence in the wake of the agency conducting searches at the DMK leader and his aides' residences in connection with the 2G spectrum scam.

"It is a scrutiny. I will fully cooperate with the agency (CBI). Whatever be the procedure, I have to comply with it," said Raja.

On CBI raids at his residence as well as his aides in Delhi and Tamil Nadu, Raja said, "No one is above scrutiny. I am ready for any procedure. If anything is needed by CBI, I will cooperate. That is all I want to say."

On 8 December, the CBI had conducted searches at Raja and his aides' residences in Delhi and Tamil Nadu, including the former union minister's native Perambalur district.

They also questioned Raja's key aide Sadiq Basha, besides conducting raids at the residences of the DMK leader's brother and sister at Tiruchirapalli and other relatives in Chennai.

The raids came a day after Raja's name surfaced in connection with an alleged attempt to influence a Madras high court judge in a criminal case. The court haqd suspended the chairman of Tamil Nadu Bar Council R K Chandramohan for allegedly attempting to influence the judge in Raja's name last year, when Raja was a union minister.

Raja quit as telecom minister last month, over allegations of corruption when the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) quantified the losses caused in the allocation of 2G spectrum at throwaway prices under his regime at around Rs1.76 lakh crore.

The BJP, the Left, and other opposition parties have been stalling Parliament since the start of the winter session, demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the issue.