New Delhi:
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) which is studying the 2G scam and questioning a series of politicians, bureaucrats and industrialists, saw some of its own members challenging its work today. They pointed out that the same inquiry is also being conducted by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC).
The Director of the CBI and the Attorney General were both meant to be questioned by the Public Accounts Committee today, which is headed by the BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi.
However, aggressive arguments within the committee meant that could not happen. CBI Director AP Singh was kept waiting for four hours. Attorney General GE Vahanvati waited for an hour.
The Public Accounts Committee has 22 members - among them seven representatives from the Congress, four from the BJP, and two each from the AIADMK and DMK.
The Congress and the DMK both challenged the committee's investigation into the spectrum scam which has sent former Telecom Minister A Raja, who is from the DMK, to jail. Mr Raja is accused of giving spectrum and licences in 2008 at unjustifiable prices to companies that did not meet the pre-requisites laid out in government policy.
The government for months tried to resist setting up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), because it said the Public Accounts committee would study the 2G scam. But the BJP and others insisted that a Joint Parliamentary Committee was needed to examine the larger issues like governance, ethics. The Public accounts Committee's mandate on the other hand, is limited to the report on the 2G scam prepared by the government's auditor. Under pressure, the government conceded to a JPC in February 22.
Since then, the two committees have, with many on the JPC suggesting that the PAC is no longer needed to investigate the 2G Scam. Mr Joshi, as Chairman of the PAC, has differed with that opinion.
Industrialists like Ratan Tata and Anil Ambani have deposed before the PAC in recent weeks.
The term of the PAC expires on April 30. The new members will continue to be headed by Mr Joshi who has stressed that the PAC is a permanent parliamentary body vested with wide ranging responsibilities, as against the JPC, which is set up for a specific purpose for a limited time frame.
India has seen only four Joint Parliamentary Committees before this - the last studied the Bofors scam when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister.
The Director of the CBI and the Attorney General were both meant to be questioned by the Public Accounts Committee today, which is headed by the BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi.
However, aggressive arguments within the committee meant that could not happen. CBI Director AP Singh was kept waiting for four hours. Attorney General GE Vahanvati waited for an hour.
The Public Accounts Committee has 22 members - among them seven representatives from the Congress, four from the BJP, and two each from the AIADMK and DMK.
The Congress and the DMK both challenged the committee's investigation into the spectrum scam which has sent former Telecom Minister A Raja, who is from the DMK, to jail. Mr Raja is accused of giving spectrum and licences in 2008 at unjustifiable prices to companies that did not meet the pre-requisites laid out in government policy.
The government for months tried to resist setting up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), because it said the Public Accounts committee would study the 2G scam. But the BJP and others insisted that a Joint Parliamentary Committee was needed to examine the larger issues like governance, ethics. The Public accounts Committee's mandate on the other hand, is limited to the report on the 2G scam prepared by the government's auditor. Under pressure, the government conceded to a JPC in February 22.
Since then, the two committees have, with many on the JPC suggesting that the PAC is no longer needed to investigate the 2G Scam. Mr Joshi, as Chairman of the PAC, has differed with that opinion.
Industrialists like Ratan Tata and Anil Ambani have deposed before the PAC in recent weeks.
The term of the PAC expires on April 30. The new members will continue to be headed by Mr Joshi who has stressed that the PAC is a permanent parliamentary body vested with wide ranging responsibilities, as against the JPC, which is set up for a specific purpose for a limited time frame.
India has seen only four Joint Parliamentary Committees before this - the last studied the Bofors scam when Rajiv Gandhi was Prime Minister.
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