New Delhi: Opposition on Saturday said the trial
court verdict granting relief to Home Minister P Chidambaram
would not change the "corrupt" image of the government, and
the recent court orders on the 2G scam shall have "far
reaching" implications on its collective functioning.
"This verdict will not change the corrupt image of the
government or the intensity of our campaign...The issue of
political accountability of Chidambaram remains alive...We
will continue to raise the matter of his accountability before
the nation," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said here.
Maintaining that "there is overwhelming evidence of
corruption" in the grant of 2G licences, he said there was
"enough evidence against Chidambaram in public domain...The
BJP shall continue to pursue the matter before the people of
the nation."
Another BJP leader Jaswant Singh said, "I don't think it
is a disappointment, because it is not the end of the story".
"We cannot lose sight of the fact that the Supreme Court
has cancelled 122 licences because it was a scam and there was
corruption. The licences were allotted arbitrarily and after
manipulation of policy," Prasad also said.
Maintaining that a "protracted legal battle" would now
follow on Chidambaram's alleged involvement, CPI(M) leader
Nilotpal Basu said the apex court order cancelling 122 2G
licenses had quoted "government's own policy paper to say the
then Finance Minister was jointly responsible for the pricing
of spectrum".
There was "overwhelming evidence" that Chidambaram and
the then Telecom Minister A Raja had consulted each other on
the issue, the CPI(M) leader claimed.
Basu also said "there is no evidence to show that the
former disagreed or tried to stop" the move to go for a first
-come, first-serve policy on granting spectrum licences.
CPI National Secretary D Raja said his party would
examine the court order dismissing Subramanian Swamy's plea to
make Home Minister P Chidambaram a co-accused in the 2G scam
case.
The Supreme Court order cancelling 122 2G licenses and
today's order by the lower court would have "far-reaching
implications on the collective functioning of the Cabinet and
individual responsibility of concerned Ministers", he said.
Noting that these orders could become "precedents" for
the future, he said "ethical and moral questions" could be
raised with respect to the role of Chidambaram from documents
like the Finance Ministry's March 25 note which were in the
public domain.
The note had suggested that Chidambaram could have
prevented the scam by insisting on spectrum auction.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, February 04, 2012, 14:11