Desperate Congress thrusting its Rs 46,000 cr telecom scam on NDA: Jaitley

The Congress party has run out of ideas. It has perfected the art of scoring self goals. The latest example is the press conference that its spokesperson held on July 7, 2016 alleging a telecom scam of Rs 46,000 crore.

Under the well established policy of government of India, telecom service providers pay to the Government of India licence fee and spectrum user charges on a revenue sharing basis. A CAG report of February 2016 has stated that the six telephone providers, between the period 2006-07 and 2009-10, have under reported their revenues to the extent of Rs 46,000 crore, thereby depleting the share of the Union government in licence fee and spectrum user charges by about Rs 5,000 crore.

The CAG report was received by the telecom department in February this year and its supporting documents were received in June 2016 and the same are now being scrutinised so that the telecom department can take further action in the matter. As per parliamentary procedure, the CAG report is now pending before the Public Accounts Committee.

The pertinent question is how is this a scam of the NDA government?

The under reporting by the telecom service providers relates to the period when UPA was in power. The UPA government, under its very nose, allowed this under reporting. The final CAG report pointed it out in February 2016 and only three weeks ago have the documents been sent by the CAG to the Telecom Department.

Notwithstanding the fact that the issue is pending before the PAC, the telecom department, which is processing these documents, will take action. What is act of omission and commission by the present government? An impropriety took place during the UPA government for which the present government will take action.

The question, however, is the pathetic plight of the Congress party.

Notwithstanding the fact that this impropriety took place during the UPA government, the Congress spokesperson made an empty noise about this being an NDA telecom scam. Shrillness, non-application of mind and a belligerent rhetoric seem to be the strategy of the Congress party. It is a pity that the party has been pushed to this desperation.