Manmohan, Cong. back Chidambaram

The Prime Minister is understood to have expressed full faith in Mr. Chidambaram’s integrity; Opposition parties led by the BJP and the AIADMK insist that the Home Minister should go

The government and the Congress on Thursday stoutly defended Home Minister P. Chidambaram facing heat from a united opposition who pressed for his resignation and a CBI probe over his stand in the controversial 2G spectrum allocation.

Asserting that Mr. Chidambaram’s integrity is not in doubt and there is no question mark over his conduct in the wake of the allegations against him, both the government and the Congress dismissed the demand for his resignation. The Congress also denied there was any rift in the government.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Mr. Chidambaram from Frankfurt and is understood to have expressed full faith in his integrity, a day after a Finance Ministry note to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) submitted to the Supreme Court by Janata party leader Subramanian Swamy kicked up a storm.

Besides Dr. Singh, Mr. Mukherjee also spoke to Mr. Chidambaram who said he has assured the Prime Minister that he shall not make any public statement on the subject until he returns to India. Singh is due to return from New York on September 27.

Mr. Mukherjee, who is in New York, declined to comment on the raging row over the “secret” note which appeared to have raised questions on the Home Minister’s stand when he was holding Finance portfolio saying the matter is “sub judice“.

“I cannot make any comment on it. The whole matter is under the scrutiny of the Supreme Court of India. We cannot make any comment on any matter that is sub judice,” he said.

The note suggested that the 2G scam could have been averted if the Finance Ministry, then under Mr. Chidambaram, had insisted on spectrum allocation through auction.

“The party does not doubt his integrity,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said, dismissing as “junior officer’s subjective judgement” the note by the Finance Ministry head by Mr. Mukherjee.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni and Law Minister Salman Khurshid spoke in similar vein and said there could be “no question mark” on Mr. Chidambaram. Mr. Khurshid said Mr. Chidambaram deserved the support of the government.

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Murli Manohar Joshi, who as PAC chairman probed the 2G scam, and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam supremo J. Jayalalithaa led the opposition offensive to demand that Mr. Chidambaram resign immediately or be sacked by the Prime Minister. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) demanded a CBI probe into Mr. Chidambaram’s role as there was ‘mounting evidence’ against him.

Mr. Singhvi said the “mischievous attempt” to create a rift between different constitutional functionaries is highly regrettable and ought not to be repeated.

“This March 2011 note is an example of post-facto summary by a junior officer which also has his own presumption. It cannot and should not be read as consistent document” in the chain of events, he insisted.

Mr. Khurshid said Mr. Chidambaram deserved the support of the government.

“I have now seen the paper and I want to make it very clear that as far as we are concerned in the government, there is no question mark whatsoever... nothing of questionable nature on the conduct of (then Finance Minister) P. Chidambaram... I can say this with full authority. He deserves the support of the government,” he said.

Mr. Joshi said the Finance Ministry officials were telling the then Finance Minister to go for auctions.

“Why was it not done?.... There are clear contradictions here. I strongly demand that either Chidambaram should resign or he should be dismissed forthwith,” he said.

He further demanded that the “exact quantum of loss” to the country due to this scam should be determined by the present Finance Minister and made public. He said the CBI should also inquire into the role of Mr. Chidambaram in the scam.

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley demanded a (CBI) probe into Mr. Chidambaram’s role and said that the government is defending him in denial. Mr. Jaitley also demanded the government’s response to the Finance Ministry note.

Mr. Jaitley took potshots at the government saying there was a “civil war-like situation within” and asked the Prime Minister to clarify his stand.

CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said the role of Mr. Chidambaram must be investigated.

Ms. Jayalalithaa said Mr. Chidambaram should immediately resign from his post or else the Prime Minister should drop him from the Cabinet.

“The CBI should proceed against Chidambaram, as they did against A Raja...”, she added.