PM, Sonia meet Congress leaders over Raja

NEW DELHI - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi met senior party leaders here Sunday, with the opposition having stalled parliament last week to demand the ouster of Telecom Minister A. Raja over the 2G spectrum scam.

The leaders met informally in Parliament House after paying tributes to former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on his birth anniversary, sources said adding Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Sonia Gandhi, were also present.

Congress sources said the party has already stated that a decision on continuation of Raja in the cabinet had to be taken by alliance partner DMK. They also pointed to Raja’s remarks that a lobby opposing mobile number portability was targeting him.

The party leaders also appreciated the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the iconic opposition leader of Myanmar who was freed by the military junta in Myanmar Saturday. The Congress is expected to formally issue a press statement welcoming her release.

Parliament was stalled Wednesday and Thursday with the opposition demanding Raja’s ouster following reports that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report had indicted him for a huge loss to the exchequer in the allotment of 2G spectrum.