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Subversive Sibal

Last Updated 09 January 2011, 15:31 IST

Union communications minister Kapil Sibal’s attack on the comptroller and auditor-general’s report on 2G spectrum allocation calls into question the government’s ability and willingness to find the truth about the scandal. Sibal has denied that the government suffered any loss because of the controversial decisions of the telecom ministry under A Raja. He has termed as erroneous the calculations of the CAG which said that the loss might possibly be as high as Rs 1.76 lakh crore. By questioning the CAG’s methodology and its findings, the minister is showing an important constitutional authority in poor light. The CAG has already defended its report before parliament’s public accounts committee (PAC). The commerce secretary also appeared before the PAC but did not question the figures projected by the CAG. Sibal’s belated attack now raises doubts about the government’s intentions. It is a reminder of the attack launched against the CAG as part of the cover-up of the Bofors scandal in the 80s. If there is no loss to the exchequer and there are only some procedural mistakes in the implementation of policy, why did it take so long for the government to come out with that view?

The minister’s arguments are those of a clever lawyer, trying to obfuscate issues and facts and create confusion. He also adopted a posture, aggressive and theatrical enough to make people believe that there was substance in the argument. But cleverness and drama do not help strengthen a case. What Sibal has done is in effect supporting the case of Raja, who has also advanced the same arguments. Then why did Raja have to resign?

It was also highly inappropriate of the minister to make these statements when a number of  agencies are investigating the scandal. The supreme court, the PAC, the CBI and a government-appointed committee are all looking into various aspects of the scandal. The minister’s views can also be interpreted as an attempt to influence investigations. He was right to point out that the policy helped the telecom sector to become competitive, mobile connections to increase and the customers to benefit in many ways. But these are no reasons to virtually defend the wrong-doings of a minister who subverted norms and rules to favour his chosen companies. In the light of the minister’s statements, the actions he claimed to have taken against arrant companies have also become suspect.

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(Published 09 January 2011, 15:31 IST)

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