New Delhi:
When the PM offered in a speech last week to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to answer questions about the 2G scam, the Opposition rejected the offer as a cop-out.
Today, Dr Manmohan Singh has reiterated his offer in a letter to BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi. As head of the PAC, Joshi will have to seek Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar's approval before he can get the Prime Minister to testify before the panel.
Under Speaker's direction 99 under the rules of procedures and conduct of business in Lok Sabha, the PAC cannot call a minister to give evidence or for consultations in connection with the examination of accounts by it.
The chairman of the committee, however, may have an informal talk with a minister on the subject under consideration by the committee.
Since the Prime Minister's offer is unprecedented in its nature, the Speaker may have to devise a procedure on how the committee could accept the Prime Minister's offer of appearing before it.
BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj have said that the PM cannot choose which forum he will appear at to address concerns about what's described as India's largest-ever scam. They say that unless the PM sanctions a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), they will not allow Parliament to function during the Budget session in February. A similar stand by the BJP and other Opposition parties led to less than 10 hours of business during the winter session, which concluded earlier this month.
"If the PM is clean, he should order a JPC. Government should not indulge in diversions," said Shahnawaz Hussain, BJP Spokesperson.
The Opposition contends that the PAC's scope of inquiry is limited to the contents of the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the 2G scam. This report, submitted last month, nailed DMK leader A Raja for deliberately undervaluing 2g spectrum to favour companies in January 2008. The loss, according to the government's auditor, could be up to 1.76 lakh crores. That report led to Raja's resignation as Telecom Minister.
But the BJP has vowed to target the PM in a series of rallies that it promises will be one part of an anti-corruption campaign. By allowing Raja to circumvent the rules, the Opposition says, the PM was tolerant of corruption. They say that a JPC - which will consist of different political parties - is required so that it can look into not just financial wrong-doing, but other issues like whether corporate lobbyists influenced government formation.
Those charges stem from what's referred to as "the Radia tapes." In 2008 and then again in 2009, the phones of PR executive Niira Radia were tapped as part of an income tax investigation. Radia represents some of India's biggest business leaders like Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani. On the phone, she is allegedly heard campaigning for A Raja to return as Telecom Minister after the UPA won the general elections in 2009. Radia allegedly worked with Raja to ensure her telecom clients benefitted from his office. These and other accusations are being investigated by the CBI, which has recently raided the homes and offices of both Raja and Radia. (With PTI inputs)