Just five days after A Raja was acquitted of charges in the 2G spectrum case on 21 December, the former telecom minister had written a letter to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, saying, "You will recall that I assured you several times that I had done nothing wrong but rather acted in national interest and that I would prove this... Today I stand vindicated."
In his reply to the letter, dated 2 January 2018, Manmohan Singh asserted that he was very happy that Raja stands vindicated in the 2G case.
Raja, in his 26 December letter, recalls how he had written to Singh "on the subject of issuance of new UAS licenses and allocation of 2G spectrum" on the same day a decade ago.
Neither of us could have imagined the twists and turns in our political and personal lives over the next ten yearsA Raja
He went on to blame "a few very powerful individuals" for launching a propaganda machine, which ultimately misled the Parliament and the apex judiciary.
It cost you (Manmohan Singh) the UPA government, and it took seven years of my life, including fifteen months in jail.A Raja
Noting that various compulsions that prevented the former prime minister from supporting him, Raja appealed him to come forward in his support, "now that the truth about 2G is out in the open".
I hope you will acknowledge that I remained loyal and faithful to you – unlike some senior Cabinet colleagues – and ensured that you did not suffer personal embarrassment in the trial proceedings.A Raja
In his response, Singh said that Raja and his family have suffered greatly in this process.
...But all your friends are greatly relieved that truth has prevailed.Manmohan Singh
On 21 December, Raja was acquitted along with DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi and 15 others in the 2G case, with a single-line verdict of Judge OP Saini reading – "all acquitted of all charges".
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