Pressure on Manmohan Singh to speak up on 2G scam

NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders on Thursday asked the reason for Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh’s silence and inaction in responding to a plea for prosecution of former Telecom Minister A. Raja in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

CPI-M leader Brinda Karat said the Prime Minister’s silence showed his involvement in the biggest scams of the country.

“The Prime Minister should give an answer to the Supreme Court’s question. The country awaits. The Prime Minister when he has the answer, why was he silent? Was this not connivance through his silence with this huge scandal, which was taking place in the country?” she told reporters outside the Parliament today.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad commenting on the issue said the Prime Minister should immediately respond to the apex court.

“In the history of independent India, it is the first time this has happened that a comment has been made on the Indian Prime Minister, seeking an answer. As soon as possible, Prime Minister should respond, not only in front of the Supreme Court but also in front of the entire country,” said Ravi Shankar Prasad.

“In past two years, how many times a discussion on spectrum scam took place? We tried to trap him, but earlier Honourable Prime Minister said everything is fine, nothing has been done by his cabinet, and later all the facts were revealed. It is the biggest scam of corruption in independent India,” he added.

Earlier today, the apex court asked for an affidavit to be filed by Saturday on behalf of the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, which explains why he took close to a year to respond to a request for the prosecution of A Raja over 2G scam.

Delivering the order, the court said: “It’s an extremely serious matter, we must know what has been kept back.”

The apex court has asked for the details of communication between the PMO and Janata Party President and former Law Minister Subramaniam Swamy, who had sought sanction for the prosecution of Raja.

In response to the apex court’s order, Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium said: “We are ready to submit all documents, all letters of Swamy have been dealt with.”

The apex court had earlier on Tuesday asked the Government to explain why the Prime Minister took eleven months in taking a decision on a plea for sanction of prosecution of the former Telecom Minister in the controversial 2G spectrum allocation issue.

Raja was forced to resign on Sunday night under considerable pressure from the Congress, which has been attacked in Parliament by a united Opposition on corruption charges. (ANI)