After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed a committee to probe into the lease, Congress today asked the opposition to eschew creating "negativism".
After Prime Minister Manmohan Singh appointed a committee to probe into the S-band spectrum lease, Congress today asked the opposition to eschew "giving a running commentary" on the episode and creating "negativism".
"ISRO chairperson has himself clarified on the issue related with the institution. Now government has also constituted a probe committee. As long as that committee does not give its report, there should be a complete full stop on the running commentary on the issue," party spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters.
On BJP questioning the justification of BK Chaturvedi's appointment as the head of the committee looking into the deal, Tewari said it was "inapproriate" to say that this person or that person's appointment was not correct.
"As long as the committee does not give its report, it is not correct to comment on the constituion of the committee," Tewari said asking the opposition "not to raise ghosts and then slay them."
BJP has claimed that Chaturvedi was one of those who had approved the agreement between ISRO's commercial arm Antrix and Devas Multimedia as cabinet secretary in 2005.
"Is it right if decisions taken by some people are investigated by the same people," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman has asked, adding that the party was very worried about the "cover up".
Tewari was also opposed to calling the deal a scam asking how can it be called a scam when "no satelite was launched, no transponder was leased" but only a contract was entered into which was later annulled.
"Some people are trying to create negativism," he said adding that there was no need for further commenting on the issue after the ISRO chairman explained the decision in detail."
Replying to a volley of question on new developments into the on-going investigation into the 2G Spectrum scam including the arrest of Shahid Balwa, manager of DB Realty, Tewari said, "The investigation process is going on. It is being monitored by the Supreme Court. We only want that the whole truth emerges."
He said the party will react once the court gives decision and termed it "uncalled for" to react to every observation in the case.
Asked about the Supreme Court making various queries regarding CBI's action into the 2G issue, Tewari said the SC is monitoring the investigation and "they will obvioulsy be asking questions to agencies."
"Let a charge sheet be filed, let the investigation be completed, we will respond if there is a need," he said.
Tewari said the issue of spectrum allocations should be probed since 1999, adding that the country suffered a loss of Rs60 thousand crore due to NDA government's policy of spectrum allotment.
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