Congress, BJP evade 2G note controversy

NEW DELHI: The Congress, which two months ago amplified the government’s claim that the reference to P Chidambaram in the controversial 2G spectrum note was the handiwork of a junior officer, on Tuesday chose to steer clear of the latest revelation on the issue.

“We don’t want to be drawn into the controvesry. The issue of 2G spectrum sale is under the consideration of three independent bodies — the Supreme Court, PAC and the JPC,” Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said. The latest revelation has kicked the bottom of the government’s claim that the reference to Chidambaram’s role in the note was the interpretation of an official.

Pranab Mukherjee’s letter to the prime minister has made it clear that Chidambaram’s name was included at the insistence of the PMO and that the Cabinet secretariat was in the know of the circumstances that led to the formulations in the report.

The Congress spokesman sought to underplay the controversy by claiming that the issue has been “discussed to death”. He maintainted that the note was a mere reiteration of the events between October 2003 and February, 2011 on the spectrum front. “If at all there are any concerns over the interpreation of events, it is best left to the JPC,” Tewari said. For its part, the Opposition on Tuesday refused to be distracted by the controversy over the finance minister’s letter. “A power struggle is on within the UPA since 2009. Things have become murkier following the new revelation.

But we are not concerned who prepared the report and at whose behest. The country wants to know why spectrum was sold at such low prices,” said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman. She also said that the goings on in the government vindicates what industry leaders like Azim Premji have been saying on lack of governance for the past few months.