Govt, Cong rally behind PC, Oppn demands his resignation

New Delhi, Sept 22 (PTI) The Indian government and
Congress on Thursday stoutly defended Home Minister P
Chidambaram facing heat from a united opposition who pressed
for his resignation and a Central Bureau of Investigation
probe over his stand in the controversial 2G spectrum
allocation.
Asserting that Chidambaram's integrity is not in doubt
and there is no questionmark over his conduct in the wake of
the allegations against him, both Government and Congress
dismissed the demand for his resignation. The Congress also
denied there was any rift in the Government.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also called Chidambaram
from Frankfurt and is understood to have expressed full faith
in his integrity, a day after a Finance Ministry note to the
Prime Minister's office(PMO) submitted to the Supreme Court
by Janata party leader Subramanian Swamy kicked up a storm.
Besides Singh, Mukherjee also spoke to Chidambaram who
said he has assured the Prime Minister that he shall not make
any public statement on the subject until he returns to
India. Singh is due to return from New York on September 27.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is in New
York, declined to comment on the raging row over the "secret"
note which appeared to have raised questions on the Home
Minister's stand when he was holding Finance portfolio saying
the matter is "subjudice".
"I cannot make any comment on it. The whole matter is
under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court of India. We cannot
make any comment on any matter that is subjudice," he said.
The note suggested that the 2G scam could have been
averted if the Finance Ministry, then under Chidambaram, had
insisted on spectrum allocation through auction.
"The party does not doubt his integrity," Congress
spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, dismissing as "junior
officer's subjective judgement" the note by Mukherjee-headed
Finance Ministry.
I and B Minister Ambika Soni and Law Minister Salman
Khurshid spoke in similar vein and said there could be "no
question mark" on Chidambaram. Khurshid said Chidambaram
deserved the support of the government.
Bhartiya Janata Party's Murli Manohar Joshi, who as PAC
(Public Accounts Committee) Chairman probed the 2G scam, and
AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) supremo
Jayalalithaa led the Opposition offensive to demand that
Chidambaram resign immediately or be sacked by the Prime
Minister. CPI-M demanded a CBI probe into Chidambaram's role
as there was 'mounting evidence' against him.
Singhvi said the "mischievous attempt" to create a rift
between different constitutional functionaries is highly
regrettable and ought not to be repeated.
"This March 2011 note is an example of post-facto
summary by a junior officer which also has his own
presumption. It cannot and should not be read as consistent
document" in the chain of events, he insisted.
Khurshid said Chidambaram deserved the support of the
Government.
"I have now seen the paper and I want to make it very
clear that as far as we are concerned in the government, there
is no question mark whatsoever...nothing of questionable
nature on the conduct of (then Finance Minister) P Chidambaram
...I can say this with full authority. He deserves the support
of the government," he said.
Joshi said the Finance Ministry officials were telling
the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram to go for auctions.
"Why was it not done?.... There are clear
contradictions here. I strongly demand that either Chidambaram
should resign or he should be dismissed forthwith," he said.
He further demanded that the "exact quantum of loss"
to the country due to this scam should be determined by the
present Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and made public. He
said CBI should also inquire into the role of Chidambaram in
the scam.
Senior Bhartiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley
demanded a (CBI) probe into Chidambaram's role and said that
the government is defending him in denial. Jaitley also
demanded Government's response to the Finance Ministry note.
Jaitley took potshots at the Government saying there
was a "civil-war like situation within" and asked the Prime
Minister to clarify his stand.
CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) Chief Prakash
Karat said the role of Chidambaram msut be investigated.
Jayalalithaa said Chidambaram should immediately resign
from his post or else the Prime Minister should drop him from
the cabinet.
"The CBI should proceed against Chidambaram, as they
did against A Raja...", she added.