JPC stand vindicated, attempt was to tarnish UPA Government, says P C Chacko
KOCHI: Congress leader P C Chacko, who headed the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) inquiry into the 2G spectrum scam, said the notional loss of `1.76 lakh crore calculated in allotting 2G spectrum was merely a figment of imagination.“As stated in the court judgment, it is just an astronomical figure derived from guesswork,” Chacko told reporters here on Friday.He said the judgment by the special court vindicates the JPC stand the figures arrived at by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) were incorrect.
“The CAG calculated a presumptive profit that could have been achieved if the licences were auctioned, and indicated it as a loss. But the government had followed the first come, first served basis following the previous government’s policy,” he said. There was no criminality and conspiracy in the 2G spectrum incident. Today, India is one of the countries with high mobile phone density. This is due to the availability of spectrum at a cheap price, he said.
“During the JPC inquiry, a BJP leader asked me to recommend to the then Prime Minister for winding up the inquiry as the country was witnessing revolutionary changes on the telecommunication front at that time,” he said.Chacko said he was saddened by the false allegations raised against former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and bureaucrats, who honestly worked for the nation’s development. “In the 1990s India was in debt trap, but the the situation changed in 2005 due to efforts of the UPA government under Manmohan Singh. Despite these facts, false allegations were raised him. Though the JPC had checked over 1,000 documents from the Prime Minister’s office and other departments, we didn’t get any details against the PMO,” he said.
The Congress leader said the CBI can appeal against the verdict in a higher court. “But, before approaching the High Court, it has to be learnt the alleged loss of `1.76 lakh crore was non-existent. BJP raised such allegations to tarnish the image of the then UPA Government,” he said.Taking a dig at former Comptroller and Audit General Vinod Rai, Chacko said: “Rai is currently the ombudsman who overlooks functioning of banks in India. He should check how NPA of banks increased from `1.5 crore to `8 crore in the past three years,” he said. He alleged the CAG report was leaked to the media before being tabled in Parliament.