CPI slams JPC's 2G report as a 'cover-up', 'fraud'

'Singh and Chidambaram morally and legally responsible for allowing the scam to take place'

CPI today lambasted the chairman of the JPC on 2G scam, P C Chacko, for presenting a report giving clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram, saying both were "morally and legally" responsible for the enormous losses caused to the exchequer.

Terming the report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee as a "cover-up", party leader Gurudas Dasgupta accused Singh and Chidambaram of being "morally and legally" responsible for allowing the scam in the 2G spectrum allocation to take place.

"I am not demanding the Prime Minister's resignation because he is already facing the bomb blast caused by his party leader (Rahul Gandhi). He has also to satisfy (US President Barack) Obama. Therefore the situation is already volatile for him," Dasgupta said when asked whether he would want Singh to quit.

"The report is a cover-up operation. A fraud has been played, facts have been suppressed and it is biased to favour them (PM and Chidambaram). Parliament's mandate has also been violated," he told a press conference in which CPI veteran A B Bardhan was also present.

Maintaining that "not only (former Telecom Minister) A Raja is in the dock, but the JPC itself is in the dock," the CPI leader said he would raise the issue with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and explain how Parliament's mandate was "violated by Chacko".

He said neither the Prime Minister, nor the Finance Minister were called to depose before the JPC in contrast to the then Finance Minister, Manmohan Singh, appearing before the earlier JPC on stock market scam involving Harshad Mehta.

Releasing an over 60-page "parallel" report in the form of a dissent note, Dasgupta said "no discussion was permitted on it and the report was brought for adoption only whereas the report of the Harshad Mehta JPC was debated for 19 days."

With the support of outside allies BSP and SP and absence of JD(U) members, Government yesterday managed to have its way in the JPC on 2G scam when the panel approved the draft report with a 16-11 vote in its favour.