<p>Fernandes was boycotted by the then main Opposition party - Congress - for over two years. He resigned on March 15, 2001 in the face of the sting operation conducted by a weekly magazine but was re-inducted to the cabinet on October 15, the same year.<br /><br />Soon after, the ‘coffin scam’ broke through a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General. As Fernandes refused to resign, Congress, in a bid to mount pressure, decided to boycott him in Parliament. The first such action against a minister in Parliament’s history continued successfully for over two years, until the 2004 elections. However, Congress faced embarrassment as two of its then MPs - Jagmeet Singh Brar and Lakshman Singh - defied the party line.<br /><br />The scam related to caskets being allegedly purchased at a price many times their actual cost during the Kargil war. The issue became a major embarrassment for then Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government. (Fernandes, however, was cleared by the one man commission headed by retired Justice Phukan. The report was rejected by the UPA government.)<br /><br />The NDA now wants the UPA to face the music. The opposition sees Chidambaram as a vulnerable target on two counts - a judgement against him is being reserved in the Supreme Court in the 2G spectrum scam - which means it may be delivered any day. <br /><br />Secondly, in a major setback to the minister, the Madras High Court, in August this year, rejected his application seeking to dismiss a petition challenging his election in the Sivaganga constituency in the parliamentary election in 2009. Defeated candidate Raja Kannappan of the AIADMK had challenged the election of Chidambaram from the constituency.<br /><br />The NDA, along with the Left parties are trying to corner the government on the 2G issue, taking it from where they left in the monsoon session.<br /><br />The opposition ire against the government and the minister is more so because it sees Chidambaram being shielded by the UPA coalition. A controversial office memorandum, dated March 25, 2011, forwarded to the prime minister's office with the consent of finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, with whom Chidambaram has none-too cozy relationship, pointed out that the 2G scam could have been prevented had the latter opted for auction of spectrum licences, instead of first come first served basis.<br /><br /> The government virtually forced Mukherjee to give clean chit to Chidambaram while documents which became public later showed that the March office note was prepared at the behest of PMO!</p>
<p>Fernandes was boycotted by the then main Opposition party - Congress - for over two years. He resigned on March 15, 2001 in the face of the sting operation conducted by a weekly magazine but was re-inducted to the cabinet on October 15, the same year.<br /><br />Soon after, the ‘coffin scam’ broke through a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General. As Fernandes refused to resign, Congress, in a bid to mount pressure, decided to boycott him in Parliament. The first such action against a minister in Parliament’s history continued successfully for over two years, until the 2004 elections. However, Congress faced embarrassment as two of its then MPs - Jagmeet Singh Brar and Lakshman Singh - defied the party line.<br /><br />The scam related to caskets being allegedly purchased at a price many times their actual cost during the Kargil war. The issue became a major embarrassment for then Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government. (Fernandes, however, was cleared by the one man commission headed by retired Justice Phukan. The report was rejected by the UPA government.)<br /><br />The NDA now wants the UPA to face the music. The opposition sees Chidambaram as a vulnerable target on two counts - a judgement against him is being reserved in the Supreme Court in the 2G spectrum scam - which means it may be delivered any day. <br /><br />Secondly, in a major setback to the minister, the Madras High Court, in August this year, rejected his application seeking to dismiss a petition challenging his election in the Sivaganga constituency in the parliamentary election in 2009. Defeated candidate Raja Kannappan of the AIADMK had challenged the election of Chidambaram from the constituency.<br /><br />The NDA, along with the Left parties are trying to corner the government on the 2G issue, taking it from where they left in the monsoon session.<br /><br />The opposition ire against the government and the minister is more so because it sees Chidambaram being shielded by the UPA coalition. A controversial office memorandum, dated March 25, 2011, forwarded to the prime minister's office with the consent of finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, with whom Chidambaram has none-too cozy relationship, pointed out that the 2G scam could have been prevented had the latter opted for auction of spectrum licences, instead of first come first served basis.<br /><br /> The government virtually forced Mukherjee to give clean chit to Chidambaram while documents which became public later showed that the March office note was prepared at the behest of PMO!</p>
