| Source: News Bharati |
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| How accused Chidu ‘accepts’ Pranab ‘explanation’? |
New Delhi, September 29: BJP has slammed Chidambaram’s acceptance and Pranab Mukherjee’s hasty explanation saying that Pranab’s disapproval of the ‘note’ is insignificant as it is a matter concerning government exchequer and not an ego issue between ministers.
Within half an hour of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s statement today, the BJP slammed Congress. BJP spokesperson Ravi Sankar Prasad said, “Home Minister P Chidambaram has no right to accept Mukherjee’s explanation.”
“You are an accused, Mr Chidambaram”, he said directly blaming Chidambaram. “This country is not going to accept this completely untenable explanation of Pranab Mukherjee,” said Prasad.
Congress conducted many meetings during the day. Earlier, after parley for days on the controversy over the 25 March 2011 note from the Finance Ministry to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The document that was prepared on 11 March this year by deputy director P G S Rao in the Finance Ministry’s department of economic affairs on the allocation and pricing of 2G spectrum from 2003 and sent it to the Prime Minister. The document came to the public domain as a response to a Right to Information query and on a platter for litigant Subramanian Swamy and the opposition BJP.
The accompanying information—“A copy of basic facts prepared on allocation and pricing of 2G spectrum is enclosed. This has been seen by the finance minister (Pranab Mukherjee)”—perhaps gave the UPA government the biggest shocker in its second term. Chidambaram stands implicated in the memorandum for his decision on the spectrum pricing when he was the country’s Finance Minister.
The memorandum said, “…the fact that a Telecom Commission meeting on the issue was scheduled on 15 January 2008 was also mentioned; no response, however, was sent by DEA to DoT… Finally, a note was sent by the then finance minister (Chidambaram) to the Prime Minister on 15 January 2008. The note of the finance minister did not deal with the need, if any, to revise entry fee or the rate of revenue share.”
Mukherjee finally came out to give the government’s take on it. Mukherjee read out a written statement within minutes putting the whole blame of the controversial note on a junior official of his ministry.
As Mukherjee concluded his statement Chidambaram immediately commented that he accepts what the Finance Minister said and called this ‘chapter’ closed.
Pranab’s surrendering statement and Chidambaram’s hasty acceptance is being seen as a mystery inside the congress party. People are saying that this is not a question either between Ministers or of the Congress. There is growing demand that Congress kingpins should come clear on the issue by kicking out Chidambaram who is accused in the 2g scam.
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