Former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Vinod Rai and those who “maligned” the Congress in the 2G scam must apologise to the nation, former Union Minister Salman Khurshid said in Chennai on Tuesday. He asked why Mr. Rai, who is the chairman of the Banking Recruitment Board, has not uttered a word on the thousands of crores of banking frauds seen in the country.

“Vinod Rai, Gen V.K. Singh, Kiran Bedi [former Lt. Governor of Puducherry], Baba Ramdev, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Anna Hazare [all were part of the anti-corruption movement against the UPA], the BJP-RSS and those who maligned the Congress must apologise to the nation. This conspiracy has cost the nation dearly,” Mr. Khurshid said, while addressing a press conference.

The Congress leader said Mr. Rai’s affidavit to Sanjay Nirupam that what he said at the time of the 2G issue was untrue showed that a man holding a Constitutional position had thrown all morality, honesty and decency to the wind and many of them were playing a game against the Congress.

“Mr. Vinod Rai has not uttered a single word either on the ₹13, 500 crore PNB Bank fraud or on the thousands of crores lost in bank frauds and the escape of Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Lalit Modi, Vijay Mallya and many others, despite being Chairman of the Banking Recruitment Board,” he charged.

Mr. Khurshid also raised the silence of many of the television anchors who had not uttered a word on this, compared to their coverage of the 2G scam. He claimed that the final aim of the campaign in the 2G spectrum issue was to somehow install a BJP goverment led by Narendra Modi. He wanted Mr. Modi to apologise to the countrymen [for having used the CAG report to attack the Congress].

The impact of what happened some years ago is still continuing today. “It caused enormous discomfort to the Congress party. Along with the Congress, the country has suffered. [We now see] runaway prices, the kind of corruption never seen before,” he charged.

On the affidavit filed by Mr. Rai, Mr. Khurshid said it fully exposed the conspiracy to malign, defame and bring down the Congress-led UPA government. He said the court did not find any evidence of wrongdoing in the 2G spectrum allocation.

The former Minister said the party will raise the matter in every forum including in the Parliament when the winter session convenes.