Communist Party of India (CPI) leader and All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) senior vice-president A.B. Bardhan on Tuesday dared Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his government to state before the public, Parliament and the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) that the country had suffered no losses at all in the 2G Spectrum allocation.
Addressing a public meeting held in connection with the culmination of the 15th Kerala Conference of AITUC here, Mr. Bardhan wondered why A. Raja's resignation as Telecom Minister was accepted if Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal's “findings” about the CAG report were correct.
He also wanted to know why the Supreme Court had questioned Dr. Singh's silence on the warning letters sent to him.
Calling Mr. Sibal a “magician who could make things disappear” and “supposedly the cleverest man in the Cabinet,” Mr. Bardhan said the nation was waiting to hear what the Prime Minister would do about this “over-clever Minister who felt what the CAG did was wrong.”
Reiterating the demand for setting up a Joint Parliamentary Committee to inquire into the scam, Mr. Bardhan said the Congress had succeeded in giving India the label of one of the most corrupt nations.
He said he did not believe in the CBI's interrogation of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia since the CBI's record was such that it had only helped in protection of the accused.
