After the latest Finance Ministry note has indicated a rift in the ranks over the spectrum controversy, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has told the party to defend Chidambaram and also present a united front, Meanwhile,Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee is cutting short his visit here and rushing to New York to meet Prime MinisterManmohan Singh, amid a storm back home over his ministry's note to the PMO on the 2G scam. This has EXPOSED the INFIGHT amongst the Chieftains of the Ruling Hegemony.

I have been out of Kolkata since 11th September. I reached Mumbai on 13th and stayed there until my train Samrasta Express rescheduled left Mumbai at 4AM on 22nd september. We have to lose up down 16 hours for Nothing as the Maoist Security Threat phobia is just a TOOL of Repression all along the Aborigin Indigenous landscape targeted for Monopolistic aggression to Exploit Natural resources. We have been insisting that the ROOT of Corruption and Scams lies within Economic Reforms resultant in Free Market Economy and LPG Mafia Rule.

I interacted with friends in Mumbai and intend to revisit Maharashtra very soon. On 16th, indianliberationnews.com was launched. It is personal satisfaction for me as my only son EXCALIBUR STEVENSE is also been included in the IT team handling the Alternative media. On 17th, we also launched HINDI MULNIVASI NAYAK. On 16th, a book on the mystery of the MURDER of Baba Saheb BR Ambedkar written by our frined Prof Bilas Kharat was launched. We know now the CONSPIRACY and the Mind Control Game.We have to stand UNITED to Resist and MOBILISE the Real National Movement to Liberalise Non Bramin 95 percent Mulnivasi Bahujan! The Contradiction within the Hegemony is very very WELCOME!

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The Congress also is gearing up for the Supreme Court's observation on the 2G hearing. If the court suggests an investigation into Chidambaram's role as finance minister, it's bound to put even the Prime Minister in dock. So, a worried Prime Minister, in defending Chidambaram, is also shielding himself from such an eventuality.

The Congress is presenting a picture of unity over the issue of a rift between Pranab and Chidambaram on 2G spectrum pricing.

Defending Chidambaram, Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Friday said, "Ministers have categorically said that Mr chidambaram has full confidence, support".

On the other hand Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said, "The Opposition wants look at all the straws it can find to make up a case for themselves in the court. It doesn't work this way."

Sources say that it was P Chidambaram's offer to resign, when PM called him, forced both the party and the Government to walk the extra mile in defending the Home Minister.

Now, Sonia Gandhi too has made it clear that the party should speak as one.

For a party, which is known to be intensely divided even when facing its worst crisis, this firm and united backing of Chidambaram is politically significant. Perhaps in its mid term crisis, the party has belatedly realised that divided, they could fall.

But the Opposition is unwilling to move even an inch.

"Is your confidence in your colleague more important or a fair, impartial and transparent investigation?" asked BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad.

As far as the 2G fire engulfed its ally DMK, the Congress could rest easy, but now with it threatening to spread, Sonia Gandhi is keen to extinquish the fire out as soon as possible.

Sources told PTI that Mukherjee, who is in Washington to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, is heading to New York to meet the Prime Minister for "obvious" reasons.

The opposition is gunning for home minister P Chidambaram after a Finance Ministry note, that said 2G spectrum could have been auctioned if the then finance minister had insisted, surfaced.

The unexpected development takes place a day after the Prime Minister said he fully backed Chidambaram who "continues to enjoy and inspire my full confidence".

Asked whether there was any rift between his two top ministers, Singh said there was no infighting. The Prime Minister also spoke to Chidambaram on the issue from Frankfurt.

Mukherjee had also yesterday spoken to the home minister. Singh is in New York to attend the 66th session of the UN General Assembly and is scheduled to address the world body tomorrow.

The meeting between Singh and Mukherjee is expected to take place after the Prime Minister's address to the General Assembly.

Sources would not divulge the specific reasons for the step, but would say it is "obvious" why he is travelling to New York to meet the Prime Minister.

It was not immediately clear if Mukherjee himself offered to go to New York to discuss with the Prime Minister the situation arising out of the latest controversy on the 2G Sccam and Chidambaram's role, or the Prime Minister summoned him to New York.

Indications about Mukherjee cutting short his visit came when his press conference with the Indian media that was earlier scheduled for Sunday morning was preponed to Friday afternoon 3.30 pm local Washington time.

Among his pre-scheduled events, the finance minister was scheduled to attend International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) breakfast meeting on September 24 and a reception hosted by the State Bank of India on the evening of September 24.

Earlier, he was scheduled to leave for India via New York from Washington immediately after the breakfast meeting with Indian journalists on September 25.

Parliament's Public Accounts Committee on Friday decided to seek the Finance Ministry note from the government which suggests that then Finance Minister P Chidambaram could have insisted on auctioning 2G spectrum.

PAC Chairman and BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi told the members that in view of the "new revelations", he would shortly seek the note and related correspondence from the Finance Ministry as well as the Prime Minister's Office.

The issue of the note was raised by B Mahtab (BJD) and Naresh Gujral (SAD) during a meeting of the PAC here.

According to sources, Mahtab said in view of the latest developments, it was important to go into the issue especially when Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has returned the draft PAC report on 2G scam.

Joshi said though the note was in public domain now, the Committee cannot take cognizance of it till the time it comes from the government itself. "We can proceed further only after that," Joshi is learnt to have told the Committee.

The PAC Chairman also said that the Committee will have to once again summon the officials related with 2G spectrum allocation and it was within his rights to take suo motu cognizance of the new revelations.

Some members also recalled the deposition of RBI Governor and former Finance Secretary D Subba Raobefore the PAC in which he had said that he did not recall the December, 2007 meeting between then Finance Minister P Chidambaram and former Telecom Minister A Raja and no notings existed.

RALEGAN SIDDHI (MAHA): Amid the fresh controversy in the 2-G spectrum case, anti-graftcrusader Anna Hazare today said Home Minister PChidambaram would have been behind bars had theJan Lokpal legislation been in existence.

"Had there been a Jan Lokpal now, Chidambaram would have been in jail," Hazare, who earlier branded the Union Home Minister as a "mischievous person", said.

Chidambaram would have to "go home" in the 2G scam, Hazare said at his village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district.

"Chidambaram is 'khodsal' (a Marathi word which means a mischievous or a dishonest person)," the Gandhian had alleged soon after returning to his village this month while giving an account of his arrest and release in Delhi ahead of his fast on Jan Lokpal issue.

Chidambaram is facing heat from a united opposition which has pressed for his resignation and a CBI probe over his stand in the controversial 2G spectrum allocation after a Finance Ministry note to the Prime Minister's office(PMO) was submitted to the Supreme Court by Janata party leader Subramanian Swamy.

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

The Government and Congress have stoutly defended Chidambaram asserting that his integrity is not in doubt and there is no question mark over his conduct.

GANGTOK: Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday declined to comment on the Finance Ministry note to the Prime Minister's Office(PMO) that appeared to raise questions on his role in the controversial 2G spectrum allocation.

Chidambaram, who is on a visit to the quake-affected areas in Sikkim, was asked by newsmen here for his response to the note sent by the Ministry headed by Pranab Mukherjee but he refused to anwser the question.

The March 25, 2011 'secret note' on the allocation and pricing of 2G spectrum broadly suggests that the former Finance Minister could have insisted for an auction of the valuable resource at the time the spectrum was sold on a first come, first served basis when A Raja, now behind bars, was the Telecom Minister.

The note submitted to the Supreme Court yesterday by Janata party leader Subramanian Swamy during a hearing on his petition was written by PGS Rao, Deputy Director in the Finance Ministry, to Vini Mahajan, Joint Secretary in the PMO.

The covering letter to the note also said that Pranab Mukherjee had seen the document.

23 SEP, 2011, 03.10AM IST, ET BUREAU

Finance Ministry's note in conflict with Pranab Mukherjee's response to CAG

NEW DELHI: The 'civil war' in the government is certain to intensify as the Finance Ministry's note to the PMO on 2G spectrum allocation is unlikely to go unchallenged.

Sources in the government said the Finance Ministry's claim that the policy was steered by thentelecom minister A Raja and then finance minister P Chidambaram will not pass muster as it is in conflict with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's own response to the draft CAG report on spectrum allocation.

"MoF concurred with the audit that the assumption of DoT to the effect that spectrum pricing was within its normal work allocation was not tenable.

The MoF observed that... in regard to the fixation of entry fees for new licensees, prudent principles of governance would have required the DoT to engage in further interministerial discussions particularly with MoF, The fact that this was not done despite repeated advice from MoF does give scope for creation of doubt, on the vailidity of the decision taken to fix the entry fee for new licences at 2001 levels," read comments from Mukherjee to CAG.

Sources also pointed out that Chidambaram, between May 2005 and January 9, 2008, "consistently suggested that entry fee should be revised and that the auction methodology should be adopted.

But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, at a meeting chaired by him on June 4, 2008, decided to update the entry fee of Rs 1,650 crore. Singh has been consistently defending this decision of his government.

Both Singh and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal had defended, inside and outside Parliament, the entry fee of Rs 1.650 crore and the first-come-firstserved methodology as "correct and intended to serve the objective of speading telecommunications and keeping tariffs low".

Similarly Raja cannot be blamed for keeping the spectrum pricing out of the purview of the group of ministers as the terms of reference was amended with the approval of the Prime Minister.

No criminality attached to P Chidambaram in allocation of 2G spectrum: CBI to Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: CBI has told the Supreme Court that there was no criminality attached to the then finance minister P Chidambaram in the allocation of 2G spectrum. If the SC orders an inquiry against Chidambaram on the basis of March 25 note of the Finance Ministry to the PMO, it would do a great damage to the democratic institution, CBI said.

"The Comptroller and Auditor General has not pointed a finger at MoF (Ministry of Finance then headed byHome Minister Chidambaram). If the court asks for CBI inquiry on the basis of a note written by aMinistry of Finance officer, then it will do a great damage to the democratic institution," CBI counselKK Venugopal told a bench comprising justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly on Thursday.

"If then finance minister was culpable on the basis of this note, then why not then finance secretary? Then, why proceed against one. Where would this stop," asked Venugopal, adding, "the note alleged nothing against anyone".

To buttress his stand, Venugopal read out the statement made by then Finance Secretary and present RBI Governor D Subbarao in 2G scam case which is now part of the special court. He pointed out how the Telecom Ministry alone took the decision and the Finance Ministry was not involved in it. "The finance minister (Chidambaram) cannot have cancelled the licences (2G licences) granted by then telecom minister A Raja on January 8, 2008," Venugopal said.

The decision on allocation of 2G was the decision of the Department of Telecom and on several points the Ministry of Finance had disagreement with DoT, he said. "People in the Department of Telecom were the culprit in the scam and not the Ministry of Finance," said Venugopal.

In a democracy, several decision-making proceeds on consultations and if some one pulled out a note and alleged motive against people, then the functioning of the government would be undermined. "It is easy to produce a note from here and there and seek investigation. It is not for the court to look into it. Please allow the system to function and the courts can step in if the system fails," he said.

CBI's counsel urged the court not to pass any order on the basis of Janata Patry President Subramanian Swamy's plea seeking direction to the agency to investigate the alleged role of Chidambaram in the 2G case. "He (Swamy) has filed 15 documents both in the SC and trial court seeking similar relief which cannot be entertained here," said Venugopal.

He then asked Swamy whether he had submitted to the trial court the document containing the March 25 note of MoF, seen by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, and sent to the PMO. Swamy then answered in the negative.

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Sensex slumps further on negative global cues

Mumbai: A benchmark index for the Indian equities markets closed 195 points down Friday, a day after the index suffered worst one-day loss in two years, as negative cues from global bourses continue to dampen sentiments at the Dalal Street.

Sensex slumps further on negative global cues

The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,222.37 points, closed at 16,165.95 points, down 1.19 percent or 195.20 points from its previous close at 16,361.55 points.

A sell-off in stock markets around the world Thursday had sent the Sensex plummeting 704 points - its worst fall in over two years. The 50-scrip S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange closed 1.01 percent down at 4,873.75 points.

Broader markets as well as most sectoral indices also closed deep in the red for the second consecutive day on heavy sell-off in the global markets. The BSE midcap index fell 0.87 percent and the BSE small cap index slumped 1.13 percent.

Most Asian markets ended in the red for the second straight day as traders continued to sell out in the wake of a gloomy outlook by the US Federal Reserve that said the global economy could fall into another bout of recession led by Western countries.

Source: IANS

23/09/2011

Sonia asks party leaders to back Chidambaram

New Delhi: As speculation mounts on the equation between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Home Minister P. Chidambaram, who has been named in the 2G scam, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has directed top leaders to put up a joint defence, party insiders said.

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