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2G scam: Sibal defends PC, attacks Oppn
India Blooms News Service
New Delhi, Dec 10 (IBNS): Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on Saturday attacked opposition parties and said that National Democratic Alliance (NDA) is trying to malign the image of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram in connection to the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
“Since the submission by the CAG of the Performance Audit Report on 'Issue of Licences and Allocation of 2G spectrum', there have been intense debate and criticism on the issue. The debate has taken a perverse turn and the NDA, besides some individuals, is making an attempt to malign and defame P Chidambaram, Home Minister,” Sibal said in a press statement.
Defending Chidambaram, he said, “We, in Government, categorically reject all such allegations. P Chidambaram is a valued colleague and has discharged his responsibilities without fear or favour and with absolute integrity and devotion.”
“Government is concerned that the public arena is being converted into a forum for a public trial of allegations and counter-allegations, many of which have no relation to facts,” Sibal said.
The Union Telecom Minister said that Chidambaram never hold a meeting with former Telecom Minister A Raja over the 2G spectrum allocation issue.
“During the period up to the issue of Letters of Intent on January 10, 2008, A Raja, then Minister of Communications, did not hold any meeting with P Chidambaram, then Finance Minister,” Sibal remarked.
“Letters of Intent were issued to new entrants on January 10, 2008. It is the validity of these LoIs that is now in issue,” he said.
He said that investigations over the irregularities in the spectrum allocation will be conducted properly in the concerned courts.
“A Raja had categorically assured the Prime Minister that the policy would be implemented in a fair and transparent manner. Several irregularities and deviations have since been pointed out in the implementation of the policy. All these are matters that are being investigated and will be decided in accordance with law in the appropriate courts."
“It is therefore preposterous to suggest that P Chidambaram had any role to play in “fixing” the entry fee for the LoIs issued on January 10, 2008,” Sibal said.
Attacking opposition parties, Sibal said: “Therefore, any attempt by the opposition to foist any culpability on P Chidambaram is not only irresponsible but is yet another desperate attempt to make the institution of Parliamentary democracy dysfunctional.”
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Thursday admitted Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy's petition against Chidambaram over the 2G spectrum scandal case.
The court of Special CBI Judge OP Saini also accepted Swamy's plea to examine Sports Secretary Sindhushree Khullar, who was at the time of the 2G anomalies a Joint Secretary Finance, besides the CBI Joint Director HC Awasthi.
The court told Swamy that the witnesses as mentioned by him (Swamy) in his application can be summoned and examined if he could explain their relevance to the case.
The Parliament was disrupted on Thursday as opposition members demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister.
The 2G scam, allegedly masterminded by ex-minister A Raja, pertains to a biased distribution of mobile airwaves and operating licenses, in lieu of kickbacks, to telcos that could have cost the treasury up to Rs 1.76 lakh crore in lost revenue, according to the government's auditors CAG.
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