Pranab makes 2G stand clear
Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has made it clear to both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi that his ministry “did not have any role” in preparing the 2G note, sources indicated on Wednesday.
It was reported for the first time in this newspaper that the note was prepared by the then Cabinet Secretary following instructions from the PMO and that the Union finance minister had only seen the note and forwarded it to the PMO. Union law minister Salman Khurshid on Wednesday also made it clear that the “note was not prepared by Pranab Mukherjee” and talked of the “difference between a note being written and seen”. The note was prepared by the then Cabinet Secretary, K.M. Chandrashekhar, following 13 meetings and over 30 emails with and to concerned ministries, including those of finance, law and communications. All these details are now with both the PM and Mrs Gandhi. When asked about the note, Mr Mukherjee made it clear that these were “confidential issues”. It was also pointed out that the “secret note” was “leaked to the RTI by a concerned PMO official”. There is speculation about the concerned PMO official’s so-called “friendship” with Janata Dal president Subramanian Swamy.
While Mr Chidambaram has tacitly put the ball in the government’s court and indicated that it was now up to the party and government top brass to clarify the contentious note, sources close to Mr Mukherjee indicated that efforts were on to settle the issue and focus on other problem areas, including the cash-for-vote affair.
The Congress, while defending the home minister, criticised the BJP, describing its demand for Mr Chidambaram’s resignation as “absolute cacophony”. Toeing the PM’s line, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the BJP was creating an “ambience of instability”.
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