Chennai:
AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, today, in a statement, lashed out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for covering up on big corruption scandals, adding that his recent interaction with senior news editors was a "wretched exercise".
Here is the full text of her statement:
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's candour, when discussing national issues with the media, could have won him some appreciation if it had not been overshadowed by his repeated confessions of pathetic helplessness in managing the requirements of coalition politics. Over and over again during his exchanges, he kept blaming "compromises" imposed by "coalition dharma" for most of the failings of his Government.
Talking about the appointment of Andimuthu Raja as Telecom Minister in UPA-2 despite already being under the scanner for perpetrating the Himalayan Rs. 1, 76,000 crore spectrum scam, the Prime Minister said that Raja was not his choice, but an imposition by a coalition partner. The Constitution of India has vested in the Prime Minister the power to choose his Council of Ministers. It is perfectly all right for him to consult with his party chief and even with his alliance partners on specifics. But to admit in a media briefing that he had no role in selecting a particular cabinet minister and to claim that his hand was forced virtually amounts to admission of total disregard for the Constitution.
When questioned about his silence over the various controversial steps taken by Raja including the adoption of a first-come-first-served policy for allotting valuable telecommunication spectrum to letter-pad organizations, Dr. Manmohan Singh said he had written to Raja listing out his concerns.
Raja had, for his part, assured him that he would be absolutely transparent in whatever he did and would do nothing that was not consistent with the assurance he had given. Based on this assurance, the Prime Minister had silently watched, as the Nation was subjected to a Rs. 1, 76,000 crore loss.
An economist of repute, Dr. Manmohan Singh certainly cannot say that he was unaware about the loss the Nation was being subjected to. He should have stepped in and stemmed the rot. But, in the interests of a nebulous factor called "coalition dharma", he remained silent. This is the sad reality confronting India today. We have a Prime Minister, who not only has no control over his Council of Ministers, but also cannot step in even when he sees things going out of hand.
The Prime Minister also had no satisfactory answers to queries relating to ISRO's allocation of S-Band spectrum, the Commonwealth Games scam and the Adarsh Housing Society scam, none of which involved the tenuous issue of coalition dharma.
Overall, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's "live" interaction with the media was not just a damp squib, it was a wretched exercise which showcased a weak-kneed head of state at his helpless best, taking cover for all the ills plaguing the Nation using the fragile shield of "coalition dharma"!