Montek defends PMO's role in 2G scam

Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia today said that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) cannot be held responsible for the irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation, as the UPA is not running a micro managed form of government.

Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Sunday said that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) cannot be held responsible for the irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation, as the UPA is not running a micro managed form of government.

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"I don't think that the Prime Minister should be behaving as the super minister, supervising everything that his colleague does...," Ahluwalia told Karan Thapar on CNN-IBN in Devil's Advocate.

He said this in response to a question on whether former telecom minister A Raja followed the Prime Minister's advice to be cautious and transparent while giving licences and 2G spectrum in 2007-2008. On the letter written by the Prime Minister himself on November 2, 2007, asking Raja to exercise fairness and transparency in the spectrum allocation, he said the letter was written since it concerned the public.

Ahluwalia clarified that the PM had been assured that policies were being followed and deviations, if any, had the approval of the Solicitor General.

"The minister (Raja) subsequently responded and assured him (Manmohan Singh) that he was following the established policy and there was some departure, which I think he brought to the attention of the PM and said that these had the support and approval of the Solicitor General," he said.

"Now in an environment like that, remember, if something wrong or unfair is being done by a ministry, people affected take the matter to court, they protest..., if the PM keeps monitoring, then we are not running a Cabinet government, we are running something like a micro-managed form of government," he said.