BJP vows to target Home minister

Stressing that the trial court’s dismissal of case against Home Minister P Chidambaram in the 2G spectrum scam was not final, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) declared it will continue to target him both inside and outside Parliament.

“This is the order of the very first court. There are other hierarchies of courts and Subramanian Swamy has clearly said that he will approach the High Court and the Supreme Court,” BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters after the CBI court declined to make Chidambaram an accused in the 2G scandal.

Prasad asserted that this verdict will not change the “corrupt image of the government” and the BJP will continue to raise the issue both within and outside Parliament.

“As far as political accountability of P Chidambaram, the then finance minister, is concerned, in view of overwhelming evidence which is there in public domain, the BJP shall continue to insist for accountability inside and outside Parliament,” Prasad added.

Prasad further said, “We cannot lose sight of the fact that the Supreme Court has cancelled 122 licences because it was a scam and there was corruption.” Reacting to the verdict another BJP leader Jaswant Singh said, “It is not the end of the story”.

The Congress–led United Progressive Alliance government, which was on the back foot after the apex court cancelled the 2G licences given during its regime, was buoyed by the relief given by trial court to Chidambaram.

“We always knew that our colleague (Chidambaram) in Parliament and in the government is absolutely not culpable for anything...that was put forward by Subramanian Swamy...I know the evidence and shifted through the evidence and there is absolutely no responsibility that can be foisted on my colleague,” Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal said after the court pronounced its verdict in the case.