Congress defends PM, as Opposition seeks answers

Concerned that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may be drawn into the vortex of the 2G spectrum controversy that claimed former telecom minister A Raja, the Congress has drawn its lines in the sand ahead of Parliament, which is reconvening on Thursday.

The Congress will defend the Prime Minister strongly and unequivocally, even at the cost of losing a few more days of Parliament’s functioning. “The government is going to strongly defend the Prime Minister in the Supreme Court as well and highlight the fact that the CBI, which comes under the purview of the PM, was ordered to conduct an enquiry (which is ongoing) during the period in question, demonstrating that the PM was not sitting idle on this issue,” party spokesman Manish Tiwari said.

The party is barely able to hide its irritation with the observations by the Supreme Court, which said it was “worried about the PM’s silence” for 16 months between the time a demand was made for a CBI investigation and action on it. A senior minister said that in a parliamentary democracy, Parliament was supreme and not the views of Supreme Court judges. This was a thinly-veiled suggestion that where the PM was concerned, the party is ready for a confrontation.

Solicitor-General Gopal Subramanium today said the apex court’s criticism of the PM in the 2G spectrum scam was “not an embarrassment”. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told Business Standard, “We have to see in what context the remarks were made. Moreover, it is not a part of the verdict. Also remember, CAG has not said anything against the PMO.”

But the Opposition is fortified by the court’s observations and will demand an explanation from the PM. BJP veteran L K Advani said, “The Prime Minister must respond to the Supreme Court’s remarks”. The CPI(M) too remarked: “The SC has rightly asked why the PM delayed responding to a request for permission to prosecute the telecom minister for 11 months. The PM must explain in Parliament how this murky affair was allowed to go on for so long.” Parties like AIADMK and Shiv Sena have also demanded a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on the 2G scam.

But the government gave a hint of its firm stand during a meeting between the BJP brass and the finance minister on Tuesday.

At the meeting, Mukherjee told Advani if the Opposition wanted a JPC on corruption issues like 2G, the Adarsh housing society and Commonwealth Games, “Let us also have JPCs on state subjects like mining scams, land scams in Karnataka and how the Yeddyurappa government indulged in horse trading to save its government”.

The Congress brass has also reminded the Opposition that the Public Accounts Committee — where the CAG report has been sent — is in a way more powerful than a JPC. “The PAC is the only committee that can summon government files. If a JPC asks for all files, the government can claim privilege,” said a Congress manager.

As the Left parties have joined the chorus with the BJP for a JPC, a top Congress fire-fighter quipped, “If they insist so much, we should also insist on a JPC on the land scam in Rajarhat area of Kolkata.”

However, a possible face-saver could be a judicial commission on the 2G spectrum scam, which might save the remainder of the winter session.