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2G: JPC chief turns down BJP demand to call PM
Chacko says Yashwant’s plea to summon Manmohan political stunt
Tribune News Service

The stand-off How can a JPC member write a letter to the PM? It is for the committee to take a decision. It (the BJP attempt) is only a political stunt and against norms of Parliamentary procedure. — PC Chacko, panel Chairman Sinha cites offer by PM BJP member on the panel Yashwant Sinha cited the offer made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Congress Burari Plenary in December 2011 that he was ready to appear before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament when it was examining the 2G scam.

New Delhi, April 2
The attempt by the BJP to queer the pitch by demanding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh be summoned to depose before the Joint Parliamentary Committee probing the 2G Spectrum allocation scam, was today dismissed by panel Chairman PC Chacko as a “political stunt”.

“How can a member of the JPC write a letter to the Prime Minister? It is for the committee to take a decision. It is only a political stunt and against the norms of Parliamentary procedure”, said Chacko adding that letter by Sinha to Prime Minister, even if suggesting voluntary appearance, holds no water.

He said even if the JPC wants, it cannot call a minister as a witness till a unanimous resolution was passed. He said after completing deposition by witnesses, the JPC members authorised him to write draft report. “Once the report is ready, we will meet to discuss it,” he said.

The JPC has time till the end of the budget session to present the report to Parliament.

Having returned to the JPC after staying away from its proceedings over differences with the chairman, BJP member on the panel Yashwant Sinha suggested to the Prime Minister through a letter written on Monday that he appear before it following allegations by former Telecom Minister A Raja.

Sinha cited the offer made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Congress Burari Plenary in December 2011 that he was ready to appear before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament when it was examining the 2G scam, a viewpoint endorsed by the BJP.

Sinha cited the submission by Raja as well which found support from the party, resulting in BJP spokesperson attacking the Congress in disapproving the way in which it “steadily and consistently is stonewalling the function of parliamentary committees”.

Raja has been repeatedly requesting the JPC to call him for deposition. After being denied the opportunity, he wrote to the committee last month, saying the Prime Minister was in the loop over decisions taken regarding the controversial allocation of 2G spectrum in 2008.

Sinha, who along with other five BJP members had boycotted JPC proceedings last year for some time to press for calling the Prime Minister, wrote to PM, saying that he should appear before the JPC so that “the truth comes out”.

He alleged, “If Raja presents his side of the story, then the Prime Minister and Finance Minister will be in serious trouble and to save them from this situation the JPC Chairman is not calling Raja.”

Sinha said Raja has cast serious aspersions on the conduct of the Prime Minister, Chidambaram and on the evidence presented before the JPC by Attorney General G E Vahanvati.

“We will not be able to arrive at the truth and the whole effort will be wasted in concealing the truth,” he said.

Party spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman questioned the manner in which the Congress and the government were resisting any attempt to call Prime Minister, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and even Raja to appear before the JPC.

Meanwhile, CPI member on the panel Gurudas Dasgupta said the JPC Chairman had not called a meeting of the panel for a long time. Opposition members on it have been making suggestions, but Chacko has not agreed to any.