New Delhi, Sept 30: The CPI-M today demanded the resignation of Home Minister P Chidambaram, saying there was “mounting evidence” about his “direct role and involvement” in the 2G spectrum allocation scandal.
“He (Chidambaram) has said the matter is closed. I am afraid the matter is not closed... We are demanding his resignation in light of the mounting evidence about his direct role and involvement in the policy and implementation of allocation of licenses of 2G spectrum,” party General Secretary Prakash Karat told reporters here.
He said the Finance Ministry note was not the handiwork of a single officer but “prepared in consultation with various departments, including the Prime Minister's Office, and coordinated by the Cabinet Secretary”.
Yesterday also, senior CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury had said that the Cabinet will have to take “collective responsibility” on the matter and cannot find fault with only one or two persons.
The Finance Ministry note of March 25 had said that the 2G scam could have been avoided had the then Finance Minister had insisted on auctioning of spectrum instead of giving it on 2001 prices.
“The fact is that this inter-ministerial note was the result of a collective exercise which pin-pointed the role of Chidambaram,” he said.
Referring in a lighter vein to the clarificatory statement made by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee yesterday, Karat said he had “an onerous task of rescuing his cabinet colleague. I sympathise with his plight...I think Mukherjee has spoken the truth, which is good”.
He said Chidambaram's action as the then Finance Minister showed he was “going along with the actions of A Raja. Has this not been responsible for the massive loss to the state exchequer? This is the main issue. It is very much alive and he should step down from the Cabinet”.
Karat said the note forwarded by the Finance Ministry to the Prime Minister's Office has clearly “delineated the role” played by Chidambaram “in going along with the policy and the implementation of it by then Telecom Minister A Raja”.
“Despite the obfuscation by the government, the issue is that Chidambaram had given the green signal for a policy which led to a massive loss to the state exchequer.
This is despite his ministry earlier objecting to the first come - first serve policy and the entry fee being retained at the 2001 rate,” the top CPI-M leader said at the end of the two-day meeting of the Politburo here.
He said the high level corruption which had engulfed the UPA government since its inception in 2004 has been once again highlighted.
“Apart from the unfolding 2G spectrum scandal, the CAG reports on the KG basin contract and the Air India mismanagement have reinforced the image of a totally corrupt government in the eyes of the people,” Karat said.
Taking the BJP to task for announcing the rath yatra by L K Advani, he said, “One can't help admire BJP's total hypocrisy on the stand of corruption during the NDA rule. Corruption scandals had erupted then and these are snowballing now in the UPA-II regime”.
Referring to the scams relating to defence purchases and sanctioning of petrol pumps and gas agencies during NDA rule, he said the BJP was “accountable for presiding over one of the worst corruption episodes in illegal mining in Karnataka.
“In this context, the rath yatra of Advani will have no credibility among the people.” PTI
