Heaving a sigh of relief over the Supreme Court's decision to monitor investigations into the 2G spectrum allocation scam, the Congress on Thursday said the Opposition should now give up its demand for a JPC probe.
As the court would now monitor the CBI investigation, there was no justification for a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee, party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told journalists here.
Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily said the government had nothing to hide on the 2G issue. “This is what our government had said — we have nothing to hide. That is why we wanted the court to monitor the CBI investigation,” he said. “I am happy that the Supreme Court has considered the request of the government.”
Earlier in the day, the court directed the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate to carry out investigations into the 2G spectrum scam and widened the ambit of the probe to include telecom policies pursued from 2001 to 2008, covering both the National Democratic Alliance and United Progressive Alliance regimes.
‘No souring of ties'
Meanwhile, Health Minister and All-India Congress Committee general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is in charge of party affairs in Tamil Nadu, reiterated that Wednesday's CBI searches on the official and residential premises of close associates of the former Union Minister, A. Raja, and DMK MP Kanimozhi would not “sour” ties between the parties.
“Our relations were cordial earlier and will continue to be so in the future also.”
“Alliance firm”
Special Correspondent reports from Chennai:
In Chennai, Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K.V. Thangkabalu said: “The alliance is firm and stable.” Even AICC spokesman Janardhan Dwivedi had made this clear, he said.
“DMK will cooperate”
Mr. Thangkabalu pointed out that the DMK was a UPA constituent and whatever action initiated to bring out the truth in the alleged scam had its approval too. The DMK had already announced that it would cooperate in the investigation.
