New Delhi:
A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) appointed to study the 2G scam has said in its report that neither the Prime Minister nor Finance Minister P Chidambaram were aware of the malpractices of then Telecom Minister A Raja which allowed ineligible companies to grab cheap mobile network licenses with second-wave or 2G airwaves thrown in for free.
The committee was headed by PC Chacko of the Congress. Members of opposition parties have disagreed with the report he has circulated among the 30-odd members of the committee.
The CPI and the BJP have both said they reject the report in its current form. The BJP has said it categorically disagrees with the all-clear given to the PM.
The report says that Mr Raja, who belongs to the Tamil Nadu party, the DMK, changed the rules of licensing at the last minute to allow firms to jump a long queue to get licenses. It has also rejected Attorney General GE Vahanvati's deposition earlier this year wherein the latter said that he was unaware of Mr Raja changing a controversial press note regarding 2G licenses at the last minute. Mr Vahanvati was the Solicitor General at the time.
The draft report also says that it disagrees with the government's auditor which said that Rs 1.76 lakh crore had been lost on account of the alleged swindle.
Mr Raja, who spent a year in jail before being granted bail, had repeatedly asked to testify for the Joint Parliamentary Committee. BJP members of the panel like Yashwant Sinha had said that his version of events could not be ignored because Mr Raja claimed that he had informed the PM and the Finance Minister of his policies.
Mr Sinha had also written to the PM, urging him to appear before the committee, unless he had "something to hide." Dr Manmohan Singh replied that he had "nothing to hide" but said that it was the prerogative of the chairman of the panel to decide who to summon. Mr Chacko then ruled out testimony from the PM.