Nothing to hide, 2G records with JPC, PM to Sinha

New Delhi, April 3 (IANS) Two days after BJP leader Yashwant Sinha asked him to depose before the JPC on 2G spectrum, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said he has nothing to “hide” and that all records in the case were with the panel.

“You are aware that all pertinent records and documents available with the government have already been placed at the disposal of the JPC,” the prime minister said in a letter to Sinha.

“I have said from the beginning that neither the government nor I have anything to hide in this matter,” he said.

“The decision as to what evidence should be sought and which individuals should be asked to appear before the JPC is a matter that needs to be decided internally by the JPC and its chairman.”

In a letter Monday, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader asked the prime minister to appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) looking into the 2G spectrum allocation.

He also urged the prime minister to ensure that former telecom minister A. Raja appeared before the panel.

JPC chairman P.C. Chacko of the Congress Tuesday rubbished Sinha’s demand as a “political stunt”.

Chacko said Sinha’s letter to the prime minister was against established norms.

Sinha had used former telecom minister Raja’s communication to the JPC to demand that the prime minister appear before the committee to “clear” his name.

Sinha had said that Raja had levelled “serious allegations” against the prime minister and therefore he should appear before the panel if he had nothing to hide.

The DMK leader had written to the committee last month saying the prime minister had been kept in the loop on the spectrum allocation.

The 2G spectrum was allocated by the government in 2008. According to a report of Comptroller and Auditor General, it caused a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer.

Raja and his party collegaue Kanimozhi, former telecom secretary Siddartha Behura and Raja’s personal secretary R.K. Chandolia were among those arrested in the case.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.