Finance Minister Arun Jaitley targeted the Congress in a Facebook post (File photo)
The Congress party has "perfected the art of scoring self-goals", said Finance Minister Arun Jaitley dismissing the Congress' allegations of a telecom scam of Rs 46,000 crore as "empty rhetoric".
In a blog post on Facebook, Mr Jaitley came down heavily on the Congress, saying the party has "run out of ideas" and is now questioning the NDA government as the impropriety took place during UPA regime.
Finance Minister Jaitley said, "Under the well-established policy of Government of India, telecom service providers pay to the Government of India license fee and spectrum user charges on a revenue sharing basis."
"A CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) report of February had stated that the six telecom service providers, between 2006-07 and 2009-10, had under-reported their revenues to the extent of Rs 46,000 crore, depleting the share of the Union government in licence fee and spectrum user charges by about Rs 5,000 crore," he said.
"The CAG Report was received by the Telecom Department in February this year and its supporting documents were received in June 2016 and the same are now being scrutinized so that the Telecom Department can take further action in the matter. As per Parliamentary procedure, the CAG Report is now pending before the Public Accounts Committee," Mr Jaitley said in his post.
Pointing out the timing of scam, the Finance Minister said, "The pertinent question is how is this a scam of the NDA Government? The under reporting by the telecom service providers relates to the period when UPA was in power. The UPA Government, under its very nose, allowed this under reporting."
He further said: "The Final CAG report pointed it out in February 2016 and only 3 weeks ago have the documents been sent by the CAG to the Telecom Department. Notwithstanding the fact that the issue is pending before the PAC, the Telecom Department, which is processing these documents, will take action. What is act of omission and commission by the present Government? An impropriety took place during the UPA Government for which the present Government will take action."
"The question, however, is the pathetic plight of the Congress party. Notwithstanding the fact that this impropriety took place during the UPA Government, the Congress Spokesman made an empty noise about this being an NDA Telecom Scam," Mr Jaitley lashed out at the Congress.
"Shrillness, non-application of mind and a belligerent rhetoric seem to be the strategy of the Congress party. It is a pity that the Party has been pushed to this desperation," his post read.