Allegations and counter allegations is flying thick and fast and in this murky atmosphere, truth has become the main casualty.
And no political party has come out clean from this ruckus. Former Telecom Minister A Raja languishing in Tihar Jail for his alleged in the involvement in the 2-G Spectrum allocations has added fresh fuel to this raging fire.
In his deposition in the CBI Special Court investigating the case, he has dragged in the Prime Minister and the then Finance Minister, saying that the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was done in the presence of Dr Manmohan Singh and Mr P Chidamabaram.
Challenging the Prime Minister, he said “Teleron buying a stake in the Unitech Wireless and Etilaslt buying a stake in DB Realty, the Finance Minister approved it in the presence of the Prime Minister. Let the Prime Minister deny it”.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) already under fire on the mining episode in Karnataka pounced on Raja”s deposition to hit back at the Congress.
“Raja made it clear in Court that all actions in the 2-G case were cleared after permission given by the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister”, its Party chief Nitin Gadkari said as usual, he strictly followed Party’s policy to attack Sonia Gandhi at every given opportunity “Sonia Gandhi always said that action would be taken against those found corrupt…then why this silence…I want to ask whether Raja”s confession in the Court is direct evidence of Prime Minister and Finance involvement in the scam”.
Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal shot back in an interview to NDTV “It is very strange that an accused speaks in Court and this the Opposition President calls it evidence. They are demanding PMs resignation without waiting Court’s decision” “In turn, why this deafening silence on Yedurappa” Congress Taunts the BJP.
Karnataka Chief Minister is neck deep in trouble after leaked Lokyukta strictures against Yedurappa, family kith and kin and the famous Reddy Brothers who turned Bellary into their fiefdom looting the State of its Iron ore, the value of which runs into crores.
Over the last few months, the BJP which has taken a high moral ground on corruption forcing the likes of Suresh Kalmadi, A Raja and Kanimozhi into Tihar Jail has taken shelter under flimsy ground.
Mr Gadkari says “we will look into the matter after the Report is submitted”. He goes on to say that Mr Yedurappa has done no wrong. But his National Vice President blasts his senior. In a hard-hitting statement, he nail Mr Gadkari saying that he had in the Party High Command about the happenings in Karnataka when he was the Party in-charge of the State, but his complaints were taken seriously.
“It has become a Party of sons and daughters and relatives” I knew everything what Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde has now said…I had informed the High Command about it, but no action
was taken” “I had asked the High Command to relieve from Karnataka’s charge, if action was not taken against Yedurappa. The Lokayukta’s report is so damning that the Party must take action against the Chief Minister”. On the other side of the spectrum is Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav defending his erstwhile colleague in the Cash for vote Scandal.
Hitting out at the Congress, he said that Party claimed it was adopting anti-Muslim policies keeping in mind coming assembly elections in UP. “The BJP was lesser evil in dealing with minorities.