2G spectrum scam: Mocked and ridiculed, ex-PM Manmohan Singh says he is `vindicated`

Former PM Manmohan Singh Thursday said that he stands vindicated after the court verdict in 2G scam case.

New Delhi: The Special CBI court's judgement in the infamous 2G spectrum allocation scam cases has come as a big relief for former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the shocking allegations of corruption against his government had ruined his reputation of being a 'clean and an honest man'.

More than former telecom minister A Raja, DMK's Kanimozhi and several others, it was Manmohan Singh who had to face the allegations of being the face of a corrupt government the most. 

So intense was the BJP-led opposition onslaught on him, in the wake of shocking revelations by the then Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai that the scam caused a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer, that he was labelled as the ''Choron ka Sardar.'' (leader of the thieves.) by his political detractors.

While the scam cast a shadow on the UPA-II government, which eventually lost the 2014 elections, it left Manmohan Singh - the man credited for opening up the Indian economy during the nineties– with festering wounds. 

Possibly unable to bear the attack on his personal integrity, Singh made a statement in February 2011, saying that “coalition compulsions” had forced him to make compromises.

“Raja …was the choice of the DMK and I had no reason to feel that anything seriously wrong has been done. I did not feel that I had the authority to object to Raja’s entry although complaints were coming from some companies who were not benefited…I was not in a position to make up my mind,” Singh had said at a media interaction on February 17, 2011.

Interestingly, six years later, the CBI, making its final arguments in the case, defended Manmohan Singh, stating that A Raja, the then Telecom Minister, had “misled” the PM.

The CBI argued that Raja wrote a letter on November 2, 2007, apparently “misrepresenting facts and fraudulently justifying his decision” regarding the cut-off date on September 25, on the grounds that on September 25 itself, an announcement of the cut-off date appeared in newspapers. 

It also alleged that Raja apparently misled Singh by “incorrectly” stating the opinion of the Ministry of Law and Justice to refer the matter to the Empowered Group of Ministers “to be out of context”.

On November 2, 2011, Singh sent a letter to Raja, which appropriately flagged the issue of the “processing of a large number of applications received for fresh licences against the backdrop of inadequate spectrum to cater to overall demand.”

“The suggestion from the high office of the Prime Minister, that availability of spectrum had to be assessed before committing to issue of licences, and that licence without requisite spectrum meant nothing to a telecom operator, were, however, brushed aside by the accused A Raja,” Special Judge OP Saini had said, while putting Raja on trial.

In his order, Saini stated that on the receipt of the letter from Singh, Raja “immediately” called his personal secretary R K Chandolia and “drafted a response to the letter…in the night itself”. “This important matter relating to policy decisions of the DoT, which required serious consideration by the DoT in terms of the policy issues was not even dealt with in the files of the department,” Saini noted in his order on charge.

In the early days of the trial, A Raja had claimed that the then PM was in the know of the changes made to the spectrum auction process. 

Raja's statement triggered a political storm giving the BJP an opportunity to corner the Congress over the issue. The case, which saw several twists and turns, allegations and counter-allegations, lead to a drubbing for the Congress in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and several assembly elections thereafter.  

However, the Special CBI Court finally acquitting all the 17 accused, including A Raja and Kanimozhi, in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam case, Dr Singh would be the happiest man on earth as he can now relax that his name would not be mentioned as the someone who led ''the most corrupt government'' – a charge made by the BJP several times – in the annals of the Indian political history.

Though the CBI would most probably pursue the case further and appeal against the verdict in the higher court in the days to come, the verdict would hopefully put to rest the alleged ''malicious and false propaganda'' against Dr Singh and his party. 

And that's why, Singh, while reacting to the verdict today, said, “This was a massive propaganda against the UPA without any proof. I don't want to boast...the judgement speaks for itself." 

"I am glad the court has pronounced unambiguously that all this massive propaganda that was being done against the UPA was without any foundation," the former Prime Minister, who was attacked by the BJP for years, further said. 

With the Special CBI court chiding the CBI for failing to produce ''concrete evidence'' against all accused, the Congress party's claim that ''Dr Singh now stands vindicated'' holds some ground for now.   

It would be interesting to see if the BJP will concede to Congress's demand of tendering an apology to Manmohan Singh and the nation for making, what it calls, ''unfounded and baseless allegations'' against its leader and the UPA government he headed for two successive terms.