How have the reactions to the 2G scam verdict been?
DMK party cadres gave a warm welcome to their leaders, RS MP Kanimozhi and former telecom minister A Raja, after they were exonerated in the 2G scam case. Stalin asserted DMK was always confident that truth would come out. He went on to say that Raja as telecom minister adopted "progressive measures" in allocating 2G spectrum. How have others reacted to the verdict?
A special CBI court acquitted all accused in the massive 2G scam. This included Telecom minister A Raja, DMK RS member Kanimozhi and others. Judge OP Saini said in his one-sentence-long verdict, "The prosecution has miserably failed to prove its case." According to the CAG, the scam had caused the government a loss of Rs. 1.76Lcr.
But, former CBI director AP Singh who supervised the investigation said he didn't understand the judgment. He claimed the prosecution witnesses were "completely demolished" and whatever the defense said was taken as true. He said the case against Raja was simple. The allegation was that Raja tweaked the system in Swan Telecom's and Unitech's favor; the owners knew Raja since his environment-minister days.
However, Singh's successor Rajnit Sinha, helming the CBI during the trial, claimed there were glaring omissions in the probe. He said "I tried to incorporate these things in the status report to SC. But, the then-Special Public Prosecutor objected and my findings were never incorporated in the status report." He feels "vindicated," especially since he faced criticism for his handling of the case.
The 2G scam was a symbol of rampant corruption in the Congress-led UPA. With the court terming it a "fabrication," Congress is feeling motivated. Congress president Rahul Gandhi mocked BJP. Referring to the 'Die Hard' series, Rahul said if BJP had a film franchise, it would be called "Lie Hard." He slammed BJP for their "architecture of lies," terming 2G scam, opposition's propaganda.
Shiv Sena, which has been clashing with ally BJP for some time now, slammed former CAG Vinod Rai, who exposed the scam. Sena said "This man (Rai) went to help out some political party which had vested interests, but now he stands thoroughly exposed." They also demanded an explanation from him. Sena said verdict was "a slap" on BJP's face for "exploiting it politically."
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal questioned SC's verdict by tweeting "2G scam is one of the biggest scams. It rocked the country and was one of the reasons for UPA's downfall. Today everyone goes scot-free. Did CBI mess up the case? Intentionally? People need answers."
