Shourie slams Patil report on 2G scam

Trashing the report on 2G scam by Justice Shivraj Patil, former Telecom Minister Mr Arun Shourie on Tuesday accused the Union Minister Mr Kapil Sibal of trying to save Mr A Raja by functioning as his advocate.

“Telecom Minister Mr Kapil Sibal is an advocate of Mr A Raja. He always tried to save Mr Raja by saying that he had informed everything to the Prime Minister,” Mr Shourie told reporters here.

Mr Shourie said the report by the former judge appointed by the government in December is a complete misrepresentation and distortion and it only helps the government.

The report had said all procedures followed by the NDA government in 2003 as also by the UPA government till 2008 were not transparent and that it was not done in a fair manner.

“Mr Sibal is lying,” he said, adding former Telecom Minister Mr Raja changed the priority list for spectrum allocation in 2008 and advanced the cut-off date to help certain companies.

“A handpicked judge gives the report to the government which is so convenient that they can derail the issue. It is a perversity. How can documents be suppressed,” he said, blasting the report and Mr Sibal.

“I have the documents which were suppressed and not placed before the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General),” Mr Shourie said.

The CAG has estimated the financial loss to the exchequer in the allocation of 2G spectrum licences by Mr Raja, now under CBI custody, at Rs 1.76 lakh crore.

He said while “Justice Patil says we (the BJP regime) deviated from TRAI recommendation, actually every single TRAI recommendation was adhered to by us in letter and spirit.”

“On every single matter of this we consulted TRAI and acted accordingly. This was done in consultation with the Finance Ministry. Member, Finance was sitting on every meeting. His signatures are on every decision including first- come, first-serve,” he said.

On the charge of wrongdoing in distributing spectrum during NDA regime, Mr Shourie countered it saying, “This was not Dr Manmohan Singh cabinet that the Ministry could do anything. It was Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee’s cabinet. You could not do one millimetre more than what Cabinet has decided.”

The CBI arrested Mr Raja on February 2 in connection with its probe in the 2G scam.

“Mr Sibal gives half truths. He is not the advocate of the government. He is advocate of Mr Raja and with every press conference he holds to protect Mr Raja and implicates PM.”

Mr Shourie, however said, that he did not agree with the estimate of the CAG on the losses incurred to the exchequer on 2G.