By IANS,
New Delhi : Defending Home Minister P. Chidambaram over allegations that he or his son had financially benefitted from a telecom deal in 2006, the Congress Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of indulging in sensationalism.
The Congress also questioned the propriety of raising the matter in the Lok Sabha when the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) was looking at all decisions taken by the government in the telecom sector.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said the JPC on telecom was clearly mandated to look into the consequences and implications of all decisions taken by the government in the telecom sector from 1998 to 2009.
“Was the BJP serious about really examining whatever were the allegations that they have been making or as usual they were out to create sensation and just make a noise over nothing…If there is anything substantive in what they have to say, what stops them from raising it in the JPC. After all that is the remit of JPC,” Tewari said.
The BJP’s Yashwant Sinha, citing a newspaper report and Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy’s allegations, had alleged that Chidambaram delayed permission for the sale of Aircel to Malaysia-based Maxis in 2006 so that his son Karthi was financially benefitted.
“Yashwant Sinha serves on the same JPC as I do and I was wondering at the propriety of raising a matter in the House which is already under examination of the JPC,” Tewari said.
He said the administrative secretary concerned was examined at length by the JPC members and if the BJP felt that there was some additional material which required an examination, they were free to raise the same at the next meeting May 15-16.
Tewari said the JPC came into existence as a result of the insistence of the opposition.
“So, I do hope that the former finance minister would really reflect about the propriety of raising the matter in the House when all these issues are before the JPC.”
Tewari said the government and the home minister had given a very detailed explanation on the issue.
“They have rebutted each and every allegation which has been levelled. Once both the government and the home minister have rebutted the contentions or the averments which have been made, I don’t think there is anything further left to be said,” Tewari said.
Chidambaram earlier denied the BJP allegation that he or his son had financially benefitted from a telecom deal in 2006, when he was the finance minister.