PC hides behind PM

P Chidambaram

New Delhi, Aug. 1: P. Chidambaram today appeared to take shelter behind Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to deflect a direct attack on himself by the BJP in connection with his alleged role in the 2G scam.

The Union home minister was facing a barrage of questions from journalists on why he was not reacting to the BJP’s allegations, levelled after former telecom minister A. Raja named him in the case.

“They are targeting more than me, they are targeting the Prime Minister. Well, all I can say is that there must be some reasons to target us,” Chidambaram said, choosing “us” over “me”.

“Although they know... and privately, a number of BJP leaders have told me that they don’t believe in what some of their colleagues say,” he said.

Raja had told the CBI special court last week that all the decisions on the award of spectrum licences were taken by the cabinet and that both the Prime Minister and Chidambaram, who was then finance minister, were kept in the loop.

The next day, Raja’s lawyer said that Chidambaram “should be made a witness in the case”. He claimed that the then finance minister had told the Prime Minister at a meeting that the equity sales by Swan and Unitech to foreign companies were legitimate.

“Arguments by a counsel in a court of law are arguments. No more,” Chidambaram replied. Asked again, he repeated the sentence without elaboration.

Chidambaram, a lawyer himself, often succeeds in ducking questions that might push another politician on the back foot. He even cited a Tamil proverb to disparage hypothetical questions, saying: “When an aunt grows a moustache, she becomes an uncle.”

On the other hand, since a Parliament session began today, the home minister can claim he is justified in keeping quiet.

“There is no allegation which I have to reply to outside Parliament,” he said, although he did face a question why the BJP was accusing him outside Parliament.

He repeated his allegation that the BJP was targeting Congress leaders because of the terror cases being investigated against Hindu outfits.

“The attack (by the) BJP is not unrelated. The attack is proportional to the pace of the investigation,” he said with the hint of a smile.