Manmohan Singh, who enjoys a reputation for honesty amid India’s murky political world, has been battling to protect his image. –Photo by AP

NEW DELHI: India’s premier Manmohan Singh said Monday he had “nothing to hide” over a telecom scandal that may have cost the country 40 billion dollars, volunteering to be questioned by a parliamentary panel.

Singh, who enjoys a reputation for honesty amid India’s murky political world, has been battling to protect his image against accusations of failing to act over the government’s cut-price sale of mobile telephone licenses in 2008.

“I have nothing to hide from the public at all,” Singh declared at a Congress party meeting, adding he was writing to the chairman of parliament’s public accounts committee saying he would be happy to appear before it.

He has repeatedly refused opposition demands for a cross-party probe into the scandal, prompting his opponents to paralyse parliament for the entire winter session.