Shatrughan Sinha pulls up UPA Govt. over 2G, CWG scam

Allahabad, Feb 13 (ANI): Veteran actor and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shatrughan Sinha on Monday lashed out at the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre over the 2G spectrum scam and the 2010 Commonwealth Games scam.

Addressing a public rally in Uttar Pradesh's Allahabad city, Sinha said: "For the first time in the history of India, a full-fledged cabinet minister (former Telecom Minister A. Raja) is imprisoned in Tihar jail. A lot of other ministers and the government officials are in the jail today for their alleged involvement in Commonwealth Games scam; many of them have been released on bail."

"And apart from that the Home Minister (P. Chidambaram) had a narrow escape for his alleged involvement in the telecom scam," he added.

A Delhi Court had earlier this month dismissed the plea of Janata Party chief Subramanian Swamy, who wanted that the role of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram should be investigated in connection with the 2G spectrum scam and that he should be made a co-accused along with former Telecom Minister A. Raja.

The telecom scam, one of India's biggest graft cases ever, may have cost 39.57 billion dollars in expected revenue losses to the public exchequer as per the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's report.

The actor-turned-politician further said the rampant corruption in the country compelled veteran social activist Anna Hazare to come out on the streets to fight against graft.

"The height of the corruption in the country forced the great saint of the country, saint amongst the saints, ascetic amongst the ascetic, the messiah (angel) of the country Anna Hazare to take on roads in order to fight against graft," he said.

Hazare has been at loggerheads with the ruling UPA Government over the passage of an effective Jan Lokpal Bill.

The campaigning for the third phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh ends on this evening, a total of 1,021 candidates are in fray for this phase. (ANI)