The Congress, based in New Delhi, vociferated on Saturday, decrying the BJP’s boundless hypocrisy. They alleged that while the BJP previously decried the administrative apportionment of 2G spectrum under the UPA as a “scandal,” the Narendra Modi government now seeks the Supreme Court’s sanction to distribute spectrum sans auction.
The opposition’s assault ensued after the Centre petitioned the Supreme Court on Monday, beseeching a revision of its ruling in the 2G spectrum affair, which mandated the state to opt for the auction route when transferring or disposing of the nation’s natural assets.
However, a credible source later divulged that the government does not intend to overturn the 2012 Supreme Court ruling endorsing auctions as the preferred method for allotting telecom spectrum, save for narrowly defined sectors like satellite communication and defence, where auctions are deemed impractical.
Criticizing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress’ general secretary Jairam Ramesh remarked, “The hypocrisy of the ‘Modi Sarkar’ and ‘Bhrasht Janata Party’ knows no bounds. During Dr Manmohan Singh’s tenure, they lamented to all who would heed that the administrative allocation of 2G spectrum was a ‘scandal.'”
“Now, they are espousing the opposite stance – they have beseeched the Supreme Court for permission to bestow spectrum upon whomever they choose, sans auction,” he alleged.
“Indeed, this ‘Modani Regime’ has already been endowing public resources to the Prime Minister’s crony capitalist associates – airports have been conferred to a singular company, coal mines have been relinquished in fraudulent auctions, and even satellite spectrum has been ceded in exchange for Rs 150 crore in electoral bonds. Collectively, they have already dispensed Rs 4 lakh crore worth of public assets to their corporate patrons,” Ramesh further asserted.
He proclaimed that on June 4, the electorate of India will expel this party of “organized plunder.” The tabulation of votes from the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections, which commenced on April 19, will commence on June 4.
The government under the INDIA bloc will inaugurate a joint parliamentary committee on the “‘Adani Mega Scam’,” and scrutinize these other illicit practices, including the ‘Pay PM scam,’ through which the PM amassed Rs 8,200 crore through his well-documented avenues of fundraising,” the Congress leader expressed.
He alleged that the BJP’s four modes of fundraising were “pre-paid bribes: ‘Chanda Do, Dhanda Lo’; post-paid bribes: ‘Theka Lo, Ghoos do’; post-raid bribes: ‘Hafta Vasooli’; ‘farzi companies'”. In its ruling rendered on February 2, 2012, the apex court invalidated 2G spectrum licenses issued to various firms during A Raja’s tenure as the telecom minister in January 2008.
On Monday, Attorney General R Venkataramani, representing the Centre, filed an interim application before a bench presided over by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala. While urging the expeditious listing of the application, the chief law officer apprised the bench that the plea seeks a modification of the 2012 verdict as the Centre intended to grant 2G spectrum licenses in certain instances.