M A I N   N E W S

Speaker to meet leaders today again on PAC issue
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 13
Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi is likely to make yet another attempt in brokering peace between the Opposition and the government tomorrow at a meeting of leaders of all parties before the House begins on the PAC issue.

The meeting Mr Joshi had with the party leaders this morning to resolve the impasse over the Public Accounts Committee Report on defence deals did not yield any result as the Treasury and Opposition Benches stuck to their respective stands, leading to the adjournment of the House for the day.

Meanwhile, PAC Chairman Buta Singh had a 30-minute meeting with the Speaker at the latter’s chamber. Mr Buta Singh told the Speaker that Defence Minister George Fernandes had refused to give the CVC report “on the pretext that it a is secret document”.

He told reporters that as he came out of the Speaker’s chamber he had explained the issue to the Speaker, who is the final authority to decide. “We will go by his direction.”

Mr Buta Singh’s contention was that if there was no CVC report, as maintained by the ruling party, Mr Fernandes should have spoken about its non-existence then and there. He said the PAC had at least five meetings with Defence Ministry representatives and each time the officials said the reports were “secret and cannot be shown”.

On the reports that the PAC never examined the factual note sent by the CVC on “investigations into defence procurements”, he said the PAC had not considered them since they were marked secret. He maintained that the PAC report did not lack unanimity and dubbed suggestions to that effect as “baseless and politically motivated”.

At the all-party leaders’ meeting the Speaker had convened today, the Opposition insisted that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee alone should reply to the discussion on the PAC report while the government said the reply would be made by Defence Minister George Fernandes. The offer of the government was that it was ready for a debate and the Prime Minister could intervene, if necessary.

This was not acceptable to the Opposition as it has been boycotting the Defence Minister for the past more than 18 months. RJD Leader Raghuvansh Prasad said after the meeting that the Opposition would persist with the demand and not allow the House to function until the Prime Minister replied to the debate.

Congress MP Kapil Sibal said the dispute was over whether the report of the Chief Vigilance Commissioner contained references to the Kargil war or not.It was not made available to the PAC by the government on the plea that it was a secret document, but he contended that the CVC report did contain references to defence purchases for Kargil war.

Mr Sibal said Mr Jayant Malhotra, MP, had in a letter dated February 23, 1999, addressed to Defence Minister George Fernandes raised the issue of Operation Vijay, on which the Minister had promised an inquiry.

The issue related to defence purchases for Kargil war. He questioned the propriety of making a reply when the Minister himself was accused in the Tehelka scam still under investigation for the past more than two years.