Chidambaram should clarify his stand to JPC: Dasgupta

While the trial court gave relief to home minister P Chidambaram, the Opposition stepped up the political heat against him in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that is probing the 2G spectrum allocation issue. HT reports.

While the trial court gave relief to home minister P Chidambaram, the Opposition stepped up the political heat against him in the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) that is probing the 2G spectrum allocation issue.

CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta asked JPC chairman PC Chacko to call the minister before the probe panel to clarify the incongruities.

“The finance minister played an ineffective role even in the face of his officials advising him to the contrary,” Dasgupta wrote to Chacko.

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The government, however, strongly backed Chidambaram with several ministers harping on the fact that his suggestions were overlooked by A Raja, the then telecom minister.

Dasgupta's letter said more than one finance secretary had gone on record saying the 2G pricing was incorrect but Chidambaram "did not move in the right direction and only issued an innocent non-paper" instead of any "decisive action".

Dasgupta also pointed out to a meeting of Chidambaram with A Raja and says, "the meeting is not recorded, nor minuted. The implication can only be that either the FM accepted DoT's position or they must have said all that is happening is alright."

In his letter to Chacko, the CPI leader further alleged, “what actually the ministry was saying in all its notes, advocating its inclusion in pricing, was not actually followed up in action. There was always a gap between the words and the actions of the ministry.”