Reacting to reports that Home Minister P. Chidambaram may be appointed as head of the Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on Telecom, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday said, this is a “cruel joke” on the nation and goes against the Prime Minister’s claim of maintaining a high level of integrity.

“There are reports about the likely appointment of Chidambaram as head of the EGoM on telecom. There has been no denial from the government. This flies in the face of Prime Minister’s statement yesterday that he maintains a high level of integrity,” BJP chief spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters in New Delhi.

He demanded that the Prime Minister should explain how this move to appoint Mr. Chidambaram goes in accordance with his claim.

“The Prime Minister had said in Parliament that the pricing of spectrum was decided after the meeting between then Telecom Minister A. Raja and Chidambaram,” Mr. Prasad said.

“How can Chidambaram be even remotely considered for EGoM and he should be a co-accused with Raja,” Mr. Prasad said.

He described this as a “cruel joke” on the nation and alleged that the government has set aside constitutional propriety, Parliamentary accountability and political integrity.