2G: Pranab note returns to haunt Chidambaram

The joint parliamentary committee looking into the 2G spectrum allocation scandal grilled finance ministry officials for two days on the controversial note the ministry had sent to the prime minister's office last year suggesting that the then finance minister P Chidambaram could have prevented the cheap and almost ad hoc sale of airwaves without an auction.

The note dated 25 March created a considerable uproar when it was leaked to the media, with observers seeing it as an indication of deep-seated differences between current finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and his predecessor Chidambaram, now the home minister – although Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did their best to dispel this impression.

Department of economic affairs secretary R Gopalan agreed that the meaning of the subscription "seen" by Mukherjee on the note meant that he was aware of the note, but he may not have approved it, JPC chairperson P C Chacko said after the committee's meeting.

Gopalan has said that the note was a compilation of facts collected from various departments, including the views and correspondence between department of economic affairs (DEA) and the department of telecommunication (DoT).

Chacko, briefing the media on Thursday evening, said members wanted to know what the contents reflected, and what it meant when it said the minister has ''seen'' the note. Chacko said that he had referred the issue to the ministry of law, which was of the opinion that ''minister has seen it'' means that he was aware of the facts mentioned in the note, but it did not mean that he approved of them.

Gopalan has also said that ''non-papers'' were also exchanged between secretaries of DEA and DoT, but they were not official - it is common practice among officials in ministries and departments to exchange notes, which did not reflect official positions or decisions.