New Delhi: The acquittal of all the accused in the 2G scam on Thursday came as a big relief to Opposition Congress and a major boost to the DMK. The BJP, while in Opposition, had used the controversy to paint the then Congress-led regime as corrupt.
The Congress, which has been at the receiving end over the alleged scam virtually went into a celebration mode with one after another leader, including former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh hitting back at the BJP.
Dr Singh whose government was battered by allegations of corruption, said that the “acquittal proves that there was a propaganda of lies”.
Dr Singh added, “I do not want to boast about anything. The court’s judgement has to be respected. I am glad that the court has pronounced unambiguously. All the massive propaganda which was being done against the UPA was without any foundation. The judgement speaks for itself.”
While the Congress wanted the BJP to “apologise to the nation” for “spreading lies,” finance minister Arun Jaitley held ground and said, “The Congress treating the judgement as some kind of badge of honour and certification that it was an honest policy.”
Mr Jaitley and the Congress leader and senior advocate Kapil Sibal also locked horns over the “zero loss theory (propounded by Congress).”
As Mr Jaitley rejected the claim, Mr Sibal said, “There was no corruption, no loss. If there’s a scam, it’s a scam of lies. A scam of (former CAG) Vinod Rai and Opposition’s lies. Vinod Rai should apologise to the nation.”
Mr Sibal maintained that the the telecom sector was in “dire straits today.” Charged over the Gujarat poll verdict, the Congress would now go full steam ahead to project itself as a victim of political propaganda. For the BJP at this juncture, the verdict would severely affect the party’s moral high ground, which it had been taken since 2014.
Senior Congress leader, Mr Anand Sharma indicated that the party would raise the issue in Parliament. Incidentally both House, particularly Rajya Sabha are being stalled everyday with the Congress demanding clarification and apology from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accusing Dr Singh of “conspiring” with Pakistan to defeat the BJP in Gujarat polls.
Despite the verdict and Congress claiming “vindication”, the saffron leaders remained somewhat unrelenting with an union minister saying that the judgement “will be definitely challenged by the relevant authorities in a higher court.”
The BJP also held a meeting with its spokespersons and television panelists to counter the Congress.
