2G, milk and water

After announcing that the Department of Telecommunications would issue showcause notices to new telecom licensees for violating eligibility conditions, new Communications Minister Kapil Sibal was asked whether the ministry would also examine the 2G spectrum pricing issue that a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) says caused the government a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Significantly, Sibal chose not to answer the question, replying instead that he would “love to have a debate on this”. He ended by quoting a Hindi proverb, suggesting that if Parliament were allowed to function “doodh ka doodh, paani ka paani ho jayega,” meaning it would be possible to separate the milk from the water (i e. clarify the issues) if there was a proper parliamentary debate.