'Ruling brought sanity, clarity to telecom policy'

The Congress-led UPA government on Thursday welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict on the 2G spectrum allocation case, maintaining it has brought “sanity and clarity” to the telecom policy.

The government, however, refused to accept its responsibility to the irregularity committed by former telecom minister A Raja in the allocation of 122 telecom licences. It also dismissed the Opposition’s charge that the apex court judgment was an indictment of the government’s functioning.

“If there is any indictment, it is on the 2003 policy of first-come and first-serve, formulated by the then NDA government. The UPA government only followed it,” Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said while reacting to the court’s verdict.

The minister dismissed the Opposition’s demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the then Finance Minister P Chidambaram should accept their responsibilities to the irregularity committed by Raja in the allocation of telecom licence.

“There is no indictment of the prime minister or the then finance minister in the judgment. The prime minister was no way responsible, no was the (then) finance minister for whatever happened,” he said.

This has been endorsed by the Supreme Court which has stated in its judgment that the then telecom minister did not heed to the “good advice” of the prime minister and the then finance minister on the issue of allocation of spectrum licences, Sibal said.

Sibal charged the BJP for levelling wrong allegations against Singh and Chidambaram. “The policy, which has been declared as discriminatory by the apex court, was the legacy of the NDA regime. They (BJP) should apologise to the nation as they are responsible for the loss of revenue,” Sibal said.

There was a problem in the implementation of the policy and “that is why Raja is where he is,” the minister, however, accepted.

Sibal said the government will abide by the apex court’s judgment that spectrum should be auctioned. The ministry has already done it by delinking spectrum from the licence in 2011.

Asked about the lessons that the UPA government has learnt from the judgment, Sibal said “whichever the minister is functioning, must consult everybody before moving forward and (they) should not commit any irregularity.”