Lucknow, June 4, DHNS:Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman and senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Friday alleged that Union Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran was the person who had started the 2G spectrum scam and said that Maran’s role in the scam must be investigated.

Joshi, who was here to attend the two-day BJP national executive committee meeting here, said Maran, who was the telecom minister from June 2004 to May 2007, had transferred the power to allocate spectrum to the department of telecom from the group of ministers.

“It was Maran, who took the initiative for changing the terms of reference,” Joshi claimed. Joshi also added that he had mentioned the role of Maran in the scam in his report to the prime minister.

Maran finds himself in the dock after a news magazine claimed that Maran had played a role in ensuring  telecom licence to Aircel for extraneous considerations. Although the minister has denied the allegations and the DMK has also backed him, the BJP and AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha have demanded his sacking.