Government fears more 2G skeletons may tumble out: CPI

NEW DELHI - The Communist Party of India (CPI) Tuesday alleged the government was adamantly refusing to set up a parliamentary probe into the 2G spectrum allotment because it feared many more skeletons may tumble out on the issue.

“It is bewildering for us to understand why the government is so adamant over the issue. The government feels many more skeletons may come out of the cupboard,” CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said.

Dasgupta was speaking to reporters after a lunch meeting hosted by Speaker Meira Kumar failed to break the deadlock between the government and the opposition over the latter’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into alleged irregularities in 2G spectrum allotment of 2008.

Then IT and communication minister A. Raja is alleged to have sold spectrum licenses at rates much lower than the market, which is said to have caused huge financial losses to the national exchequer.

“This is the biggest scandal in independent India. We want an effective and credible probe. And only JPC can do that,” Dasgupta said.

He said the government was “unnecessarily dragging” the issue and squarely blamed the government over the logjam in parliament that has seen 13 days of the winter session wasted away in adjournments due to opposition protests and sloganeering in both houses.

The CPI leader said the Left parties have not formed “any unholy alliance”. “It is a massive loot of poor man’s money and nothing less than a JPC is acceptable,” he added.