The Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, has been asked to head the reconstituted Empowered Group of Ministers on telecom. Mr Chidambaram has been picked after the Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, quit the post, citing attempts to drag him into controversies.
However, it is not yet clear if Mr Chidambaram will accept the post, given the opposition to his appointment. According to sources, the Defence Minister, Mr A. K. Antony, has raised concerns on moral grounds since allegations have been made against Mr Chidambaram in the 2G case.
The Janata Party President, Dr Subramanian Swamy, who has filed complaints against Mr Chidambaram in courts, said the move to appoint the Home Minister as the EGoM head shows the “moral bankruptcy of the Manmohan Singh Government.”
Dr Swamy pointed out that the appointment comes at a time when the Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on whether Mr Chidambaram should be made co-accused in the 2G case and when another hearing is slated later this month in the apex court on whether the CBI should be ordered to expand its probe into the Aircel-Maxis deal to cover the alleged role of Mr Chidambaram and his son.
Taking a dig at the Home Minister, senior BJP leader Mr Yashwant Sinha said: “Now he has been made the Kotwal (policeman). It will be fun,” Mr Sinha said.
Congress spokesperson Ms Renuka Chowdhury said the charges against Mr Chidambaram in the case have not been substantiated.
The Minister’s Group has to take decisions on two crucial issues related to spectrum. It has to decide the reserve price for the upcoming auctions and has also to decide the one-time fee to be paid by incumbent operators for the spectrum they hold. Both these decisions have been delayed despite several rounds of meetings.