The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday described the Supreme Court decision on 2G scam as one which raises serious questions on the credibility, transparency and integrity of the United Progressive Alliance government and demanded the resignation of Home Minister P Chidambaram for his alleged role in it.
It also said that after the order, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh “cannot escape” the political responsibility as he is head of the government.
“The 2G scam is the biggest scam since Independence. The entire country was deeply agitated and shocked over it. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union ministers Kapil Sibal and P Chidambaram defended the 2G spectrum allocation inside and outside Parliament and stated there was no wrongdoing,” BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said here.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said even after CAG pointed to wrongdoings, government had defended then Telecom Minister A Raja.
“The Prime Minister had said Chidambaram is his valued colleague and what he did is right. That decision of the government to allot 2G licences has been declared illegal and unconstitutional by the highest court of the country...It was not the decision of one person but the decision of the government,” he said.
The BJP said after the controversy over the appointment of P J Thomas as CVC and the issue of prosecution sanction in 2G case, the quashing of licences by the apex court today is the third issue on which the role of PMO has been criticised.
“This repeatedly demonstrates that many major decisions have not been taken in a fair, transparent and just manner,” the party’s Chief Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said in Delhi.
“The decision has smashed the PM’s theory that past practices were followed...The SC decision also smashes the theory of Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal that there was ‘zero loss’ in 2G allocation,” Mr. Jaitley said.
He said Mr. Chidambaram had given consent to the 2G allocation and all those involved in the issuance of licences were answerable not only politically and morally but legally also.
“Chidambaram himself must consider his continuance as Home Minister as untenable,” he said.
Mr. Prasad claimed that as the Supreme Court has directed that the matter against Mr. Chidambaram be considered by the special court, “the sword remains hanging over his head and his position has become untenable. The sooner he resigns, the better it would be.”
Prasad said the opposition also demands clarifications from the PM, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on the 2G issue after the judgement.
“Will the PM take some accountability or keep silent as always? Will Sonia Gandhi and Rahul, the two most powerful leaders in the Congress, speak about massive corruption in this government or maintain a conspicuous silence. The nation demands an answer,” he said.
PTI
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