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The Defence Minister, Mr A.K. Antony, said he has no reservations in appointing the Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, as the head of empowered group of ministers on spectrum.
Clarifying a reference in Business Line that “concerns on moral grounds” were raised by Mr Antony against Mr Chidambaram’s appointment, he said he has not expressed any such reservation. “I have not expressed any such reservation to any one. We are all working together in the Cabinet,” Mr Antony said.
Unfortunate Decision
Meanwhile, the Opposition BJP stepped up their campaign against Mr Chidambaram’s appointment. The BJP’s chief spokesperson, Mr Ravi Shankar Prasad, said the decision was “regrettable, unfortunate and condemnable.” He said by the decision had “once again confirmed that Constitutional propriety, Parliamentary accountability and probity in governance are issues not important for the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh.”
Mr Prasad said the BJP will oppose the decision in and outside Parliament. The BJP leader added that the appointment of Mr Chidambaram is a clear case of conflict of interest. “It is very much in public domain that the 2G spectrum pricing was determined by the former Telecom Minister, Mr A. Raja, in consultation with Mr Chidambaram, who was then Finance Minister, which was subsequently accepted by the Prime Minister, a fact confirmed by him in the Parliament,” Mr Prasad said in a statement.
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