New Delhi: With the stink of economic scams surrounding him, PM Man Moahan Singh admitted today in TV Editors’ meet to some compromises being made to run a coalition with a reactionary party such as DMK, whose ministers A.Raja and D.Maran are under surveillance for telecom scandals that brought losses to the Centre in lakhs of crores in rupees in 2010-11, or earlier.
He refused to resign his post but declared his intention to bring the high and mighty wrongdoers in UPA or outside of it, to book. The govt would allow law to take its own course, he added.
Neither he nor his govt. was a “lame duck” in matters of economic running into astronomical figures of swallowed money, and losses to Govt exchequer. He admitted to wrong advice given by TRAI and Telecom Commission, besides ex-minister A.Raja, and ministries of Telecom and Finance, by not auctioning the 2G spectrum, causing losses to the national funds thereby.
PM was questioned on the re-induction of a DMK minister whose failings he already knew. He replied that as PM, he had to go by the choice of leader (Sonia) of the (Congress) Party and in a coalition, he cannot have his preferences. Both A.Raja and Dayanidhi Maran were chosen by DMK, PM added.
PM said he had no authority to object to A.Raja’s entry or re-entry into the cabinet but complaints were coming from some companies that did not benefit sufficiently. He asserted he was not in a position to drop Raja earlier. PM added that he had a job to do, and lot of unfinished tasks to be accomplished. He would stay the course, he told TV editors in an interaction here.
He fielded many questions in a 70 minute talk, covering 2G and ISRO deal on S-band Spectrum, and also on Parliament fights. He said he was not afraid of facing JPC or PAC on 2G scam, having lost one whole session earlier. He was not a culprit, as made out by some critics.
About personal responsibility as PM, he explained that he was conscious about it. He did not want elections every 6 months. No single party has emerged to rule by itself in a coalition, so some of the compromises were made to mange UPA.
His talk exposed the fact that Congress committed the mistakes, to go along with erring partners, to create a series of scams in the PM’s repeat rule from 2008. No one was wiser as it was.