PM, Chidambaram should resign over 2G scam says BJP

Accusing the Congress-led UPA government of being directly responsible for the multi-crore 2G spectrum allocation scam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Home Minister P Chidambaram must resign immediately.

The demand from the opposition party came after former communications minister A Raja told a local court in Delhi today that Singh and Chidambaram were aware of all the decisions taken by him during the allocation of spectrum.

Raja even claimed in the court that former finance minister P Chidambaram had told the PM in his presence that selling equity to foreign companies was not illegal. The former telecom minister was referring to the sale of equity by Swan Telecom and Unitech after they got spectrum and telecom licences.

“We have been saying that this scam is not the work of just one minister or his ministry. The statements of former telecom minister A Raja is a direct evidence of the involvement of the Prime Minister and P Chidambaram. The entire Union government is responsible for the loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore. The Prime Minister and the Union home minister must resign on moral ground because they have lost all credibility to occupy the office,” said BJP President Nitin Gadkari.

The BJP leadership says though DMK ministers have been arrested and are in jail, they were not the only ministers involved in the scam. Senior BJP leaders have already met the Central Bureau of Investigation chief and asked him to start investigating into Chidambaram’s role in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. The DMK is a partner of the UPA government.

Asking UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to act against the Prime Minister and Chidambaram, Gadkari alleged the statements made by Raja were direct evidence against the duo. “Sonia Gandhi has repeatedly claimed she and her party would act against the corrupt. Now what does she have to say when it has become clear who all were involved in 2G spectrum allocation scam?” he asked.

The BJP president also reiterated the party’s demand for a joint parliamentary probe on the allegations against his aprty on 2G.“We are ready for any inquiry on the decisions taken by the National Democratic Alliance government in the telecom ministry. We have nothing to hide,” Gadkari said.