Describing the 2G spectrum scam as a prime example of big business-politician-bureaucrat nexus and hallmark of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has reiterated that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) should be set up to go into all aspects.
Noting that the country has been rocked by exposures of high-level corruption including 2G spectrum, the Commonwealth Games scandal, the Adarsh housing fraud and rampant corruption of the B. S. Yeddyurappa government in Karnataka, the party Central Committee decided to conduct a week-long campaign against corruption between December 5 and 11.
Cancel licences
Briefing the media on the deliberations of the three-day meet which ended here on Sunday, party general secretary Prakash Karat said that besides cancelling the licences of those companies which acquired it illegally, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) recommendation — that licences of those firms that did not fulfil the rollout obligations be annulled — should be carried out.
“However, the UPA government appears to condone corporate crime with Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal stating that licences need not be cancelled. It seems the UPA is more concerned about not scaring investors and not about the loss to exchequer. The PM should explain in Parliament why nothing was done for last two years,” Mr. Karat said adding Manmohan Singh and his government would be judged on how they accomplish this.
Countering the Congress argument against the JPC demand that the telecom scam was being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation and that the Comptroller and Auditor General's report would be examined by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, the party's Rajya Sabha leader, Sitaram Yechury, said these would be limited to certain aspects
He said the PAC would go into the accounting aspect against the backdrop of corruption but the idea was to find out how the system could be manipulated to create a scam of this magnitude. Besides identifying and booking the culprits and finding out how the system was manipulated, the JPC would come up with recommendations to have regulation so that the system cannot be abused in future and suggest laws.
As to the charge by the ruling party members that the Opposition was dragging the name of Prime Minister into the scam, Mr. Yechury said an affidavit filed by the Department of Telecom in court stated there was no difference of opinion with the Prime Minister and his office was kept fully informed of all decisions in this regard. He also said there was correspondence from the former Telecom Minister to the Prime Minister and an acknowledgement of receipt of letters to A. Raja from Dr. Singh.
Mr. Yechury said he had told the Prime Minister that by raising the issue the CPI (M) was “not questioning the integrity [of Dr. Singh] but [his] infallibility. Do not mix these up.”
