By IANS,
New Delhi : The note sent by the finance ministry to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on 2G spectrum allocations is just a “summary” by a junior official and not a cause of concern, Law Minister Salman Khurshid said Monday.
“I have seen the note. I don’t think there is any such big issue in it for which we should express concern,” Khurshid told reporters.
The March 25 note to the PMO from the finance ministry headed by Pranab Mukherjee says that the airwaves could have been auctioned in 2008 if Chidambaram, who was then the finance minister, had “stuck to his stand”.
In the note, the finance ministry says Chidambaram could have prevented spectrum from being given away at throwaway prices by insisting on its auction — implying that presumptive losses worth thousands of crores could have thus been avoided.
Asked about the legal validity of the note, Khurshid told reporters said it was not possible to comment on it at this stage.
He said the note had been prepared by “some official at junior level”.
“It is a summary and in summary, sometimes a person goes beyond and gives his opinion. What is the importance of this opinion, we shall see when we discuss,” Khurshid said.
“I understand that the way some people are presenting it (the note) is in an exaggerated manner. There is nothing like that in reality,” Khurshid said.
Khurshid said his ministry will give its view on any document or an issue under discussion if a request is made.
The controversial note, which was accessed through a Right to Information query, has led to renewed demands from the opposition for Chidambaram’s resignation from the union cabinet and allegations that there was a “civil war” in the government.