New Delhi:
Murli Manohar Joshi on Thursday walked out of a meeting where his report on the 2G scam was defeated by one vote. Eleven of the 21 members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that he heads submitted written notes casting their votes against the report that Mr Joshi had prepared. (Watch)
The senior BJP leader walked out without voting. He maintains that because of the cacophony, he had adjourned the meeting and so there could be no proceedings after that. "There was no voting," he said after walking out.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal begs to differ. He alleges that Mr Joshi "came with a predetermined agenda to adjourn the meeting, he did not adjourn the meet." Mr Bansal also says that Congress MP Saifuddin Soz will now send the "recorded votes" against the Joshi report to the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
The government's view is that the PAC rejected the report, and that should be the end of the panel's inquiry into the 2G scam.
The Speaker is thus likely to take a final view on which version holds. To bolster their claim, the 11 dissenting members say they had rejected the draft report twice in writing at the meeting. Once at 11 am and then again, when the meeting reconvened after lunch, at 4 pm.
The dissent by the nine Congress and DMK members of the committee was expected. One member each from the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party joined them. The parties that voted in favour of the report include the BJP, the CPI(M) and other opposition parties like the AIADMK.
The term of the current PAC expires on Saturday; Mr Joshi is meant to continue as Chairman for the new PAC. He was especially offended by allegations from the Congress and SMK that described the report as "outsourced." Mr Joshi described this accusation as "an attack on Parliament," Mr Joshi said.
In a symbolic gesture of rebellion, after Mr Joshi exited the meeting, Congress and DMK members declared Congress leader Saifuddin Soz the Chairman for the day. It is in that capacity that he will send the "recorded votes" to the Speaker. Mr Joshi, however, also contends that since as Chairman he had "adjourned the meeting...the meeting was over. Since there was no meeting - no Chairman could be chosen citing my absence."
During the meeting Congress and DMK members presented a point-by-point rebuttal of the report, which is critical of the Prime Minister, his office and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram - the report alleges they didn't do enough to keep A Raja from executing the scam that he allegedly masterminded. (Read: MM Joshi report slams Chidambaram, Prime Minister's Office)
Mr Raja who is from the DMK and was Telecom Minister in 2008 is in jail for selling licenses and spectrum to telecom companies who were ineligible.
The nine members from the Congress and the DMK have alleged that Mr Joshi did not consult them or circulate the "undemocratic" report among them. (Read: Govt will probe how Public Accounts Committee draft report was leaked).
The senior BJP leader walked out without voting. He maintains that because of the cacophony, he had adjourned the meeting and so there could be no proceedings after that. "There was no voting," he said after walking out.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal begs to differ. He alleges that Mr Joshi "came with a predetermined agenda to adjourn the meeting, he did not adjourn the meet." Mr Bansal also says that Congress MP Saifuddin Soz will now send the "recorded votes" against the Joshi report to the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
The government's view is that the PAC rejected the report, and that should be the end of the panel's inquiry into the 2G scam.
The Speaker is thus likely to take a final view on which version holds. To bolster their claim, the 11 dissenting members say they had rejected the draft report twice in writing at the meeting. Once at 11 am and then again, when the meeting reconvened after lunch, at 4 pm.
The dissent by the nine Congress and DMK members of the committee was expected. One member each from the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party joined them. The parties that voted in favour of the report include the BJP, the CPI(M) and other opposition parties like the AIADMK.
The term of the current PAC expires on Saturday; Mr Joshi is meant to continue as Chairman for the new PAC. He was especially offended by allegations from the Congress and SMK that described the report as "outsourced." Mr Joshi described this accusation as "an attack on Parliament," Mr Joshi said.
In a symbolic gesture of rebellion, after Mr Joshi exited the meeting, Congress and DMK members declared Congress leader Saifuddin Soz the Chairman for the day. It is in that capacity that he will send the "recorded votes" to the Speaker. Mr Joshi, however, also contends that since as Chairman he had "adjourned the meeting...the meeting was over. Since there was no meeting - no Chairman could be chosen citing my absence."
During the meeting Congress and DMK members presented a point-by-point rebuttal of the report, which is critical of the Prime Minister, his office and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram - the report alleges they didn't do enough to keep A Raja from executing the scam that he allegedly masterminded. (Read: MM Joshi report slams Chidambaram, Prime Minister's Office)
Mr Raja who is from the DMK and was Telecom Minister in 2008 is in jail for selling licenses and spectrum to telecom companies who were ineligible.
The nine members from the Congress and the DMK have alleged that Mr Joshi did not consult them or circulate the "undemocratic" report among them. (Read: Govt will probe how Public Accounts Committee draft report was leaked).
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