New Delhi, December 16
Ousted BJP leader and Darjeeling MP Jaswant Singh quit the post of PAC chairman here today four months ahead of the completion of his term, denying the possibility of his return to the BJP.
Jaswant claimed that he had submitted his resignation to the Speaker on December 14 and the Speaker accepted it today. It would come into effect from December 31.
Explaining why he wanted to continue till December 31, he said, “I have three reports pending before me. One is regarding NREGA, the other about midday meal and the third on
Scorpene deal. I hope to finalise and sign these reports before the end of this month. I thanked the Speaker, my former party and fellow PAC members for their cooperation”.
He said his term was due till April next year and added that, “I wanted to establish the autonomy of parliamentary committees from political parties. The day political parties can decide as to when a member or chairman should demit office from a committee, that day the autonomy of the functioning of Parliament will be finished. I also believe that it is incorrect for parliamentary parties to ask a chairman of a committee to vacate his post. This, too, is an encroachment on the propriety, privilege and prerogative of Parliament.”
He also denied his plan to return to the BJP, saying that, “Not at all.
I am surprised and saddened that you should see everything in such calculative manner.” On being pressed further, he said, “There is no exit or entry door.”
He also denied planning to focus more on the Gorkhaland issue, which he raised in the Lok Sabha on Monday and said, “I am an MP from Darjeeling. I am supporting the demand for the separate Gorkhaland. But it does not mean I support everything they (GJM) say.”
The BJP had nominated Jaswant to the chairmanship of the PAC to placate him when it decided on continuing L.K. Advani as the leader of the Opposition and appointed Sushma Swaraj as his deputy in the Lok Sabha after Jaswant raised the issue of incompatibility between performance and rewards in the BJP.
