We don’t have numbers,govt will collapse on its own: BJP

At a press conference held to take on the UPA government after Singh’s statement yesterday,Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley made a scathing attack on the Prime Minister,alleging that the files clearly show he had “full knowledge” and was not in the dark about the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Demanding Chidambaram’s resignation,the BJP leaders said “the last word has not been said on 2G” and the “2G saga is continuing”.

“The March 25 note of the Finance Ministry accessed through RTI shows clearly para by para that the then Finance Minister (P Chidambaram) not only had knowledge but approved of what was going on,” Swaraj said. “So the wrongdoings committed by Raja have also been committed by Chidambaram,” she added.

She alleged that UPA was following a “unique coalition dharma” where when a coalition partner is guilty he is trapped while when a Congress leader is guilty he is saved.

“The Prime Minister should save his house instead of blaming the Opposition… He should not heap all blame for this on the Opposition and give a clean chit to his ministers,” Swaraj said.

Swaraj maintained that Singh should keep his promise — made on May 22,2011 when UPA-II government completed two years in office — of fighting graft and “allow heads to roll”.

She charged the CBI was singing the Prime Minister’s tune in saying – without investigation — that Chidambaram was not guilty.

Insisting it was the CAG which had made the charges,she said BJP was only cornering the government on these issues as a responsible Opposition.

She maintained Congress had the habit of blaming coalition partners for all problems. Even on Air India,the blame was put on then Aviation Minister Praful Patel when the decision to buy planes was taken by an EGoM headed by Chidambaram.

BJP alleged the Prime Minister was not kept in the dark about the 2G allocation process and he was responsible too.

“The Prime Minister has said on July 4,2008,the then Finance Minister and Telecom Minister (A Raja) met him to discuss the 2G issue. He knew that in 2008,spectrum was being sold at 2001 prices,” Jaitley said,adding,being an economist Singh should have known this would incur losses.

He further alleged the Prime Minister has been on record in accepting that he knew about the dilution of shares after the 2G licenses were issued.

“If the Prime Minister has confidence in tainted ministers,the country is bound to lose confidence in the Prime Minister,” Jaitley said.

The BJP denied that it was trying to destabilise the government,saying it did not have the numbers.