New Delhi: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday described the various scams perpetuated during his 10-year rule as a non-issue.
Allegations of scams and widespread corruption contributed to the massive defeat of the Congress party-led coalition government in last year’s general elections.
Singh is a member of the Congress, which has come under a fresh onslaught by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over alleged scams and corruptions, as the latter celebrates its first anniversary at the centre led by Narendra Modi.
“BJP is harping on the theme of corruption to detract attention from other issues,” the former premier said on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Modi had recently said that India had moved from a nation of scams to the nation of skills during his recent foreign tour — remarks that were criticised by the Congress party.
Some of the major scams perpetuated during the Manmohan Singh government were the 2G allocation scam and coal bloc allocation scam estimated by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) worth Rs1.76 trillion (Dh100 billion) and Rs1.86 trillion respectively.
“I have not used my public office to enrich myself, my family members or my friends,” Singh, who was the first leader outside the elite Nehru-Gandhi family to serve as prime minister for 10 years, said in his defence.
Former telecom regulator authority chairman Pradeep Baijal had on Tuesday accused Singh of asking him not to obstruct policies that were being implemented to allow the improper allocation of mobile network licences in 2009 and to follow instructions of the then telecom minister Dayanidhi Maran.
“I accept the [former] PM was not corrupt, but it was his job to ensure the same of his ministers,” BJP president Amit Shah reacted sharply to Singh’s explanation.
“The prime minister is expected to give a corruption-free government. They talked about zero loss to the nation in 2G and coal bloc allocations. The BJP government has so far auctioned only 229 coal blocs and earned the nation Rs10.09 billion. This itself shows how the Congress party government plundered the national exchequer. The nation had lost an estimated Rs12 trillion during his rule. Being honest himself is not enough when you allow scams to take place right under your nose,” Shah said.
Singh’s defence of corruption during his regime is bound to invite more criticism and scrutiny.
The former premier promised that although the BJP thinks the Congress party-led UPA was a corrupt government, the Congress party would continue to fight against corruption.
Singh also tried to put the Modi government under pressure by saying that the institution of democracy is under threat under the Modi regime.
“The Congress [party] has tried to ensure that India flourishes. This idea is now under systematic assault,” Singh said while adding that while the BJP was accusing his government of policy paralysis, many of his government schemes were being implemented by the Modi government by merely renaming them.
With eyes on next round of state assembly elections starting with that in Bihar in September-October this year, the BJP has decided to go to the masses by listing achievements of the Modi government during the last one year and highlight failures of the previous Congress party government at the centre.
