Briefing mediapersons at the party headquarters, Congress spokesperson Kapil Sibal said that the issue was well within EC's powers to act since the governmental action in the telcom issue was violative of the model code of conduct which came into force on July 11.

He said though the concessions were announced on July 6, five days before the code came into operation, the letters of offer were open till July 28."Congress is of the firm view that the EC is the Constitutional authority to deal with violations of the model code and it beseeched the Commission to act forthwith," Sibal said.

The two Left parties have also asked the EC to take a speedy decision on the telecom issue in accordance with the model code of conduct.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has sought the intervention of the EC to stop forthwith the implementation of the new telecom package.

In a statement , the Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) said that the party had written to the chief election commissioner drawing his attention to the absolutely irregular manner in which the Central government is moving over the migration of fixed licence fee- based system to the revenue-sharing regime for private telecom operators.

The party said "the caretaker government taking such a decision at a time when elections are imminent and the fact that offer letters to telecom operators were issued on July 22, full eleven days after the announcement of the election dates, falls under the purview of the EC's authority."

Implementation of the new telecom package at a time when election process is on would vitiate the level playing field in the electoral arena, it added.CPI secretary D Raja, while demanding that the government should not proceed with implementing the new telecom policy, said "whatever be the judicial verdict, the EC should go by the model code of conduct."

The EC statement "is an indictment of the BJP-led government. If they (government) were ready to give documents to the EC, why did they withhold the crucial ones." Describing it as "a scandal of scandals" and a "loot of public exchequer", he said the Prime minister "personally owes an explanation to the nation as the communications ministry was under his charge after Jagmohan was removed."