Govt welcomes SC monitoring, widening probe
Welcoming the Supreme Court move to monitor and widen the scope of probe into the 2G spectrum allocation scam, the government on Thursday launched a counter attack on the Opposition saying their demand for a JPC was to delay investigations into 2G policy since 2001.
“We welcome the Supreme Court monitoring the 2G probe,” telecom minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here.
Mr Sibal while welcoming the Supreme Court widening the timeline of the probe from 2001-2008 and asking the investigating agencies CBI and ED to file a report on the probe in February said the JPC would not have the mandate to cover the policy prevailing since 2001 — when the BJP-led NDA was in power.
“Is the opposition demanding a JPC to delay probe into 2G policy since 2001,” Sibal asked at a press conference.
Rejecting the opposition demand for a JPC probe, he said with the Supreme Court asking CBI and ED to directly submit the investigation report before it at the next date of hearing, “there is no executive authority between them (as had been alleged by the Opposition).”
Mr Sibal contended that JPC, which had no powers to investigate, too would have recommended a probe by the CBI four to six months down the line and the government had done precisely that now.
He said the probe would look into the role of regulator Trai, banks and officials of DoT, if any, and asserted that the government has nothing to hide. —PTI
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‘Sibal proposal smokescreen’
age correspondent
new Delhi
Dec. 16: The CPI(M) has alleged that the “token actions” proposed by the new telecom minister Kapil Sibal on the 2G spectrum issue were only a “smokescreen” to allow the culprits to go scot-free and demanded that not only ministers and officials but even guilty corporates should be brought to book.
“The manner in which Kapil Sibal... Is going about the matter raises suspicions that only some token actions would be taken. What is the need for an internal enquiry committee when already notice has been issued to 85 companies asking why their licences should not be cancelled,” CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said.
“In all this we are seeing the now familiar pattern — a smokescreen to see that the main culprits, that is corporates, are let off the hook,” Mr Karat said in an article in the forthcoming issue of party organ People’s Democracy. He questioned why Mr Sibal has not promised to cancel licences of all those companies that have adopted illegal means.
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