2G note row: Chidambaram, Pranab meet Sonia Gandhi

Sep 26, 2011 |

Agencies

New Delhi

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Home Minister P. Chidambaram has offered to resign in the wake of the controversy over the finance ministry note on allocation of 2G spectrum, a TV channel reported today.

Chidambaram on Monday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi just before Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived at the Congress President's house.

2G note 'no big deal'

Commenting on the note sent by the Finance Ministry to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on 2G spectrum, Union Law and Justice Minister Salman Khurshid on Monday said it was just a summary by a junior official and not a cause for concern.

Talking to reporters here, Khurshid said: “I have seen the note. I don't think there is any such big issue in it for which we should express concern.”

"It is a summary and in summary, sometimes a person goes beyond and gives his opinion. What is the importance of this opinion, we shall see when we discuss," Khurshid added.

Note trouble for Chidambaram

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram came under fire after the 14-page note, prepared by the Finance Ministry and seen by Pranab Mukherjee, suggested that Chidambaram could have acted more stridently in 2008 on the spectrum pricing issue, when he was the country's Finance Minister.

The note, which relied heavily on technicalities; says Chidambaram could have 'stuck to the stand' of an auction of the highly valuable spectrum.

The note added: "It may be mentioned that while the UAS licenses were signed between February 27 and March 7, 2008, spectrum allocations were done starting only in April, 2008, almost four months after the LoIs were issued. However, these were not charged (beyond the normal spectrum usage charges) since there was consensus, at the levels of the Ministers concerned, that spectrum beyond the 'start up' levels only should be charged."

The note came into the public domain under the Right to Information (RTI) Act petition filed by Vivek Garg, a prominent activist.

'I have more such notes'

Meanwhile, Janata Party boss Subramanian Swamy, who presented the controversial 2G note in court, told a news channel today that he possesses more of such notes and 'will not hesitate' to produce them before a judge if asked to. Reports also claim Swamy is all set to speak in the Supreme Court tomorrow on the issue.

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