2G Scam: Congress says demand for JPC is politically motivated

New Delhi, Dec. 17 (ANI): The Congress party, which heads the UPA Government at the center, has termed the opposition's persistent demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into telecom irregularities as politically motivated.

Party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi told media persons in the national capital on Thursday that the JPC probe demand is cheap and political "for the simple reason that everybody in the country knows that there was absolutely no cause for obstructing or paralyzing the temple of democracy, parliament for 23 days."

He further said that: "There are more than seven statutory other proceedings simultaneously going on in respective 2G-spectrum scam. Many of them have very wide coercive powers. To then, cast doubt, to then, cast needle of suspicion and without explaining to which of these actions the JPC can take, to obstruct parliament shows the completely political motivated nature of this demand which is activated and actuated by nothing more than political grandstanding motives and we are not prepared to accept it." Singhvi noted that after the apex court's decision to monitor the progress of the inquiry by the country's nodal probe body, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the telecom scam of 2G spectrum allocations, the opposition had no right to demand the formation of JPC.

"I repeat what I have said earlier in the contrary that the Supreme Court have endorsed the direction, the pace the manner and the methodology of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation. And, if we start distrusting everything, the system will breakdown. Let us be patient till February 10th, the court is looking into it, the CBI is actively looking into it under the court's supervision. So, I think, absolutely, there are no cause for doubting Thomases to air their views," he added.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has hailed the Supreme Court's order, but reiterated its demand for the formation of a JPC, contending that the CBI is handicapped on several issues.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, a constitutional audit authority, in a report held former Telecom Minister, A Raja responsible for causing losses estimated at a whopping rupees 1.76 trillion (39.57 billion dollars) to the exchequer in 2G telecom spectrum allotments to favoured operators without any auction bids. (ANI)