Das Gupta : PM morally responsible for 2G Scam

Ludhiana : Prominent CPI leader and member of the Lok Sabha Gurudas Das Gupta has heldPrime Minister Manmohan Singh “morally responsible” for the 2G spectrum scam, involving some Rs 1,76,000 crore but stopped short of asking for his resignation directly. He said the Prime Minister ought to own moral responsibility for the loss caused to the exchequer and it was for him to decided whether to resign or not. Talking to mediapersons here today, Das Gupta, who was in the city to attend a state convention of the All-India Trade Union Congress, made it clear that the opposition parties would accept nothing short of a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to expose the 2G spectrum scandal in its entirety, while alleging that it was not only the DMK, to which the sacked Communications Minister A Raja belonged, which had pocketed the loot but certain Congress leaders had also shared the booty.

To a pointed question that Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was already looking into the alleged irregularities, Das Gupta said the PAC was not fully competent for this task. On complete disruption of proceedings of the two Houses of Parliament during the winter session, he said the adamant attitude of the UPA government had led to a logjam, which further went on to prove that the ruling coalition cared little for the opposition, which is a dangerous trend for a democratic set-up. Taking the Congress-led coalition government to task for its failure to curb prices of essential commodities, he termed the government as “worthless”. "Prices keep soaring, inflation is at its peak, while the government continues to promise effective remedial steps, which, unfortunately, are nowhere to be seen." The CPI leader asserted that the phenomenon of a persistent rise in prices was the handiwork of traders, hoarders and corporates, who are holding the people to ransom while the government keeps looking on helplessly. Going a step further, he charged senior government functionaries with colluding with the lobby of producers of essential items and deliberately closing their eyes to the misery and plight of the common man.