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Chapter 3.3.13: A Raja: Better Luck Next Time

(November 2010)

A. Raja need not go because his defense is convincing in one of the interviews given to the Hindu (Re: http://www.thehindu.com/news/resources/article884339.ece), and when there is no other criteria except the prima facie culpability, the prima facie defense of the accused, even when unsubstantiated, should be given due consideration if it raises prima facie doubt with respect to the prima facie case of the prosecution.

The transcript of the alleged taped conversations between Nira Radia and various big guns, including the journalists who run and appear on TV debates, makes it abundantly clear that the government in India is not only amenable to corporate influence but also dependant upon some big corporates for ministerial postings. In other words, the government in India is being run by the corporate. The above inference is based on the transcripts which were available on the Hindu website for a single day.

Now, let us analyze the defense of A. Raja in the above context. A. Raja has raised an important defense that he has acted against the cartel of big players by opening up the sector to a larger number of players, and, therefore, he is being targeted. His other defenses with respect to the “First Come First Serve” policy, the TRAI recommendation on pricing, the pre-ponement of the cut-off date, etc., are also pretty convincing on the face of it, though questions can be raised. However, assuming that nothing happens in India without greasing the palms of the bureaucrats and the politicians, I have no doubt that palms would have been greased in this case too.

I have a feeling that A. Raja was trying to change the power dynamics in favor of the government by allowing larger number of players; in other words, he was taking away the power of the corporate by playing divide and rule. However, he made one very big mistake: He sold the licenses very cheaply, and those whom he favored sold them at a premium. Obviously, if the licenses had been sold to the cartel, the government would have fetched much higher prices because the things would have been better managed, but then it would have been a failure of the strategy of the government, not only A. Raja. So, probably more analysis should have been done, and a better strategy should have been adopted.

I prefer what A. Raja was trying to do because that would have improved the balance of power. It looks A. Raja will now be thrown out. Well, better luck next time! ©2010-2015 Ankur Mutreja