New Delhi: In a step towards making mockery of the Democracy, the JPC for 2G spectrum Scam has given clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and FInance Minister Chidambaram, while blaming A Raja solely for it. It also rubbished the loss figure estimated by CAG.
The Draft report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, JPC says that Manmohan Singh was misled  by then Telecom Minister A. Raja. The report blames Mr. Raja for tweaking norms in favour of a few companies. It rubbishes the loss figure of 1.76 lakh crore rupees estimated by the CAG.
The report was circulated among the members yesterday. It says that the assurances given by Mr. A. Raja in his correspondence with the Prime Minister stood belied. It also suggests that there is nothing against the Finance Minister P. Chidambaram with regard to the decisions taken by the Telecom Ministry on 2G allocation. The 30-member JPC was set up in March, 2011 to probe the 2G spectrum allocation.
Meanwhile, the BJP and the CPI have criticised the report saying it has been reduced to a Congress report. They have described it as a cover up exercise. CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said that his party will reject it and put forward its own views. BJP Spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi also said that since they were part of JPC, they will submit their own point of view.
The 2G scam, touted as one of the biggest scandals in independent India’s history, has damaged the reputation of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, created intense pressure on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and top Cabinet ministers, and also cast a shadow on foreign direct investment in the country. It has also tarnished the image of the country’s telecom sector that was long considered the poster-boy of reforms post-liberalisation.