Khurshid downplays row over 2G note

Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid on Monday downplayed the row over the Finance ministry note on Home Minister P Chidambaram's stand on 2G spectrum issue, saying there is no scope for any worry in the document and that inferences drawn out of it were "not correct".

Khurshid also said the note was not worth keeping the media "preoccupied" the for a long time.

"I have seen the note. I don't think the note has anything on which we should express worry," Khurshid said, amid a controversy over the stand taken by Chidambaram when he was the Finance Minister.

"Even if all parts of the note are believed to be correct, I will say that the inferences drawn are not correct," Khurshid told reporters

Khurshid, who made it clear that he was giving opinion in his personal capacity and in the capacity of lawyer, claimed that the matter was "not so big" as has been projected by the media.

He said the media was giving unnecessary attention to the note which, according to him, had "no meaning".

"I don't think the note should keep you (media) preoccupied for such a long time," the Law Minister said.

To a question as to why government was moving in "circles" with Finance ministry blaming the Prime Ministers Office for giving out the note under RTI, Khurshid replied, "if we are moving in circles, then you (media) are running on a treadmill."

Khurshid said the note was actually a "summary" prepared by an official at the lower level. "People give their opinion over and above the summary. The importance of the opinion will be seen when the issue is discussed," he said.

The March 25, 2011, document on allocation and pricing of 2G spectrum broadly suggests that the scam could have been averted had Chidambaram insisted for auctioning the spectrum instead of being sold on a first come, first served basis during the tenure of former Telecom Minister A Raja.