Partisan politics has come to haunt the Paliamentary Committee set up to probe the 2G spectrum scam.
Congress today demanded the removal of Yashwant Sinha, former finance minister and BJP leader, on the grounds that he has a ‘prejudiced mind.’
Congress alleged that Sinha has decided the issues even before a single sitting of the Committee has taken place.
“We informally ask for the removal of Yashwant Sinha from the JPC for using vituperative language against the Home Minister,P Chdiambaram and for having a predetermined and bias mind on the whole issue of the 2G spectrum allotment,which the JPC is supposed to investigate”,said Abhishekmanu Singhvi, Congress spokesperson.
Sinha in a press conference yesterday, had attacked the Home Minister for ignoring the alleged scam when he was the Finance Minister between 2004 to 2008.
Chidambaram is alleged to have written to the Prime Minister assuring him that nothing was amiss in the allotment of precious spectrum at cheap rates by former minister A Raja, currently in Tihar jail.
He attacked Sinha’s arguments which he alleged were based on the report of the Public Accounts Committee, headed by the BJP leader, Murli Manohar Joshi. Singhi says that “the so called report” of Joshi is not a report at all because it has not been accepted by the majority and not yet officially accepted.
Congress had, when the JPC was being set up, demanded the non-inclusion of Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh – both former finance ministers, claiming that having served as finance ministers created what Congress called conflict of interest.
Congress has requested the CBI to probe the functioning of the former NDA telecom ministers Arun Shourie and Pramod Mahajan during their tenure from 1999 to 2004.
“We have requested CBI to come out with an interim role of Arun Shourie and Promod Mahajan on their role in the allotment of 2G spectrum [during their tenures,]” he added.
Singhvi also came down heavily on the silence of the BJP on the statement made by Sinha and Joshi.