Arun Shourie’s 2G claim about PM false: Congress

The Congress on Friday rubbished former telecom minister and BJP leader Arun Shourie’s claim that he’d informed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the “loot” in the 2G spectrum allocation. HT reports.

The Congress on Friday rubbished former telecom minister and BJP leader Arun Shourie’s claim that he’d informed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the “loot” in the 2G spectrum allocation.

HT Image

“There was absolutely no communication on such matters by the former telecom minister to the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister’s office… It is a travesty of truth,” said party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi.

Singhvi, not naming Shourie and stopping short of calling him a liar, questioned the timing and motivation of the revelation. He said the former minister had raised the issue after so many years instead of bringing it into the public domain when it had allegedly happened.

He asked why such sweeping allegations were made only after the one-man committee, chaired by Justice Shivraj Patil, submitted its report, revealing irregularities during the last eight-nine years, including the tenure of the BJP-led NDA regime.

“Was it done to digress and divert attention from him (Shourie) and his party?” Singhvi asked, noting that the NDA did not take any action to stop the “loot” despite claiming to have all knowledge.

On Shourie’s claim that he had informed the Prime Minister in the corridors of Parliament House, Singhvi insisted that there was no communication.

Asked why he had chosen to comment on the issue when the United Progressive Alliance had not yet issued a denial to Shourie’s allegation, he said he was speaking on behalf of the Congress, the leading partner in the alliance.