File photo of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
The Joint Parliamentary Committee studying the 2G spectrum scam today adopted its controversial draft report that gives a clean chit to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram. Expectedly, an angry Opposition, led by the BJP, slammed the report, calling it a "black day for parliamentary committees".
Congress leader PC Chacko, who chairs the 30-member JPC, said the report was adopted by a majority with 16 votes in favour as against 11 who opposed it.
The Congress with 11 members was helped by ally NCP (1) as well as Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, who again backed it with one and two votes respectively. A vote by a nominated member from the Rajya Sabha saw it successfully push through the report.
The ruling party's cause was suitably helped by Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) whose two members stayed away from today's voting. JD(U) had also opposed the draft report till it severed its 17-year-long partnership with the BJP in June this year over the latter's decision to promote Narendra Modi as its election campaign chief. BJP's Gopinath Munde was also absent during today's voting, resulting in the Opposition tally ending at 11.
Slamming the outcome, senior BJP leader and panel member Yashwant Sinha said a contrived majority had been "unashamedly" used to adopt a report based on "wrong facts, falsehood and prejudicial" findings without the consideration of the Committee.
Mr Chacko's draft report, which was circulated in April this year, says then Telecom Minister A Raja "misled" the Prime Minister in 2008 and manipulated a first-come-first-serve policy to push ineligible companies to the top of a long line of applicants for mobile network licences and second-generation or 2G airwaves. The report also rubbishes the loss figure of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore estimated by the government's auditor saying it was "ill-conceived".
The Opposition had vociferously opposed the report, blaming Mr Chacko of being "partisan" and had sought his removal.