Pranab Mukherjee comes forward to support Chidambaram, writes letter to PM

New Delhi,29 Sep 2011.



With the controversial note on 2G spectrum indicting Home Minister P. Chidambaram in its clutch, it seems the congress is fighting tooths and nails to control the damage mode, stepping forward to defend P. Chidambaram in the 2G issue on Wednesday, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi to explain the ministerial note, reportedly making it clear that the note did not suggest any criminality or indictment of P Chidambaram during his stint as Finance Minister.



Mukherjee\'s letter was intended to end speculation that his ministry was shifting blame to Chidambaram in the 2008 2G spectrum allocations and that the controversial note was a collective effort involving many other ministries, according to the sources.



They said that the letter may not assuage feelings of Chidambaram, who has been hurt by the controversy.



As per the sources, Mr Mukherjee\'s letter written to PM stressed on the fact that the Prime Minister\'s Office was in the loop about the note and even gave inputs for it.



Meanwhile, Finance Minister\'s letter also elaborated the sequence of events that led to the note on 2G being made.



Mukherjee\'s letter has detailed how the March 25 note was drafted. It said the communication was prepared at the instance of the PMO to forge a common stance for the different ministries to take on the 2G controversy.



On the other hand, the clarification from Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on the issue seems to messed up the things further, since his 4-page letter to the prime minister and Sonia Gandhi has basically reflected the UPA and Congress defence that this March 25, 2011 note pointing at Chidambaram\'s role in the 2G scam was just another note by a junior bureaucrat.



Pranab\'s written explanation categorically states that the Finance ministry note was prepared in consultation with the Prime Minister\'s office and was handled by the senior-most bureaucrat in the country the Cabinet Secretary.



According to the sources, two days after Mukherjee meeting with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, on Wednesday, Mukherjee wrote to the Prime Minister, defending his colleague, coinciding with the Supreme Court calling for the files on the finance ministry\'s stance on spectrum allocation during Chidambaram\'s tenure.



The controversial note has surfaced now through a Right to Information query.



The spectrum scandal has landed disgraced communication minister A. Raja in jail along with other politicians and company executives. The BJP says Chidambaram should not be treated differently.
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