New Delhi:
In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Kapil Sibal, who has taken over the Telecom Ministry at a time when it is mired in allegations of corruption, defends the Prime Minister as "a very sensitive man", and explains why it's not necessary for the PM to address Parliament on the 2G issue.
The 2G scam has cost A Raja his job as Telecom Minister, and has nudged the Prime Minister into a headlining controversy. Raja has been indicted by the government's auditor of costing the government close to Rs 1.76 lakh crore by deliberately undervaluing 2G spectrum in 2008 and selling it to companies that he favored, even though they were largely ineligible for 2G licenses.
Sibal tells NDTV's Group Editor, Barkha Dutt, that the Supreme Court's recent remarks against the Prime Minister - are being blown out of proportion, by both the media and the Opposition.
Earlier this week, the court said it was worried by "the silence and alleged inaction" of the PM when a request was put to him to sanction the prosecution of A Raja when he was the Telecom Minister.
He explains why Dr Manmohan Singh cannot be faulted for taking close to a year to respond to a letter that asked for the sanction to prosecute former telecom minister A Raja. That letter, written by Janata Party President Subramaniam Swamy, has led to what's described by some legal experts as "unprecedented comments" against the PM by the court.
The government has been asked to file by tomorrow an affidavit on the behalf of the PM.
Sibal also promises a make-over of the Telecom Ministry, and says he will study closely the matter of whether close to 162 licenses of telecom companies should be cancelled - a step recommended yesterday by the country's Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI).
Sibal, who is currently the Human Resource Development Minister, has also been given additional charge of Science and Technology recently. When asked about why the Congress did not pick another leader from Raja's party- the DMK - for Telecom Minister, Sibal said he's certain his appointment is temporary.
"I am like a night watchman," he said.
(Watch the entire interview here)