Have nothing to hide in 2G case, says Manmohan

All records in the case have already been placed before the panel

Two days after BJP leader Yashwant Sinha demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should depose before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the 2G spectrum scam, Singh on Wednesday said all records in the case had already been placed before the panel and he had nothing to hide.

In his reply to Sinha’s letter, the prime minister said: “All pertinent records and documents available with the government have already been placed at the disposal of the JPC. I have said from the beginning that neither the government nor I have anything to hide in this matter.” It was for the panel to decide on whether to call me, he added.

“The decision as to what evidence should be sought and which individuals should be asked to appear before the JPC is a matter that needs to be decided internally by the JPC and its chairman,” Singh stated in the letter.

Sinha wanted the prime minister to appear before the panel to clear his name in the case. He had cited former telecom minister A Raja’s communication to the JPC to press his demand.

Rejecting the demand, JPC chairman P C Chacko said the panel would not call anyone else for deposition as it had already started writing the draft report.  The written statement submitted by Raja will be circulated among the members and a panel meeting would be convened soon to finalise the report, he said.

“The JPC has enough material and documents to draft a report,” Chacko said. “We have passed that phase. We are now preparing the draft of the committee report for which the committee has authorised its chairman unanimously.”