Salman Khurshid said the attempt was to "destabilise" a beneficial government (File)
Senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid on Friday said the apology of the former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai in the 2G scam shows the layers of the "concerted and deep-rooted conspiracy" to malign, defame and bring down the UPA-Congress Government during UPA-II.
Mr Khurshid, who met the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) members in Thiruvananthapuram, said that due to the issue, India lost its robust growth story and its surging economy. He also reiterated his party's demand for an unconditional apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Rai.
Mr Rai had recently tendered an unconditional apology to Congress leader and former MP Sanjay Nirupam in response to a defamation case filed by the latter following his claim that Mr Nirupam was one of the lawmakers who sought to pressure him to keep then PM Manmohan Singh's name out of the government's audit report on 2G spectrum auctions.
"Does it now not appear that the then CAG, Shri Vinod Rai, was the Agent Provocateur? To recollect, Rai had authored a CAG report that threw a sensational number of presumptive losses of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer in the grant of 2G spectrum licenses. The report was a figment of imagination and a flight of fancy," Mr Khurshid told reporters.
Mr Khurshid pointed out that Mr Rai could never substantiate the 2G spectrum report.
"It is also not without coincidence that Rai, the then CAG, was appointed as Chairman of the all powerful, 'Banking Recruitment Board' with Union Minister of State status. However, Rai has not uttered a word either on the Rs 13,500 crore, PNB fraud or on the thousands of crores lost in bank frauds and escape of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya and many others, despite being chairman of the Board," Mr Khurshid said.
Mr Khurshid said the attempt was to "destabilise" a beneficial government for this country and they succeeded in it.
"It's now only unravelling. How history will have to be written again and again until the truth comes out is becoming apparent and has been validated by the affidavit filed by Rai," Mr Khurshid said.
"Let Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, Shri Vinod Rai and all others tender an unconditional apology to the nation...," he said.
Mr Khurshid said the nation must know that truth has been vindicated and the "deep-rooted conspiracy to destabilise and oust" the Manmohan Singh government stands exposed before the people.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)