2G: Kamal Nath says Manmohan may have erred

After ex-CAG Vinod Rai attacked Manmohan Singh over 2G, Congress leader Kamal Nath spelt more embarrassment for the party. His remarks came even as several Congress leaders defended Singh.

A day after former CAG Vinod Rai attacked Manmohan Singh on the 2G issue, ex-commerce minister Kamal Nath too questioned the former prime minister, saying he may have made a mistake in not acting despite his letter to him expressing concern over the spectrum allocation process.

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“He may have made a mistake. I would go along with you. I brought it to his notice. He did not understand the import and he did not act,” he told a TV channel.

As Nath stepped up attack on the former PM, the Congress defended Singh. But Rai’s remarks gave fresh ammunition to BJP, which claimed the former CAG’s statement only confirmed what the party had been saying about dual power centre in the previous UPA government and the then PM’s failure to act.

“The 2G, CWG, Robert Vadra’s dubious land transactions, coal block allocation scam and Air India scam — all happened right under the nose of the then PM, but he did not act. The former CAG’s statement only confirms what the BJP had been saying all along,” information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar said.

The senior BJP leader said that the former PM and the Congress leadership can not shirk their responsibility and need to answer some serious questions raised by the former CAG.

Javadekar said Rai’s claims about tapping of his phone and pressure built on him not to name the former PM in his reports were very serious allegations.

Congress sought to turn the tables on Rai and asked why he did not file an FIR if some pressure was brought upon him not to name Singh in the two scandals. Alleging political motive, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said these are nothing but “rejected allegations primarily made by Subramanian Swamy”.