PAC meet deferred

Monday 31 October, 2011.

PAC meeting on 2G deferred amid sharp differences The 2-G controversy rocked PAC meeting on Monday with opposition parties demanding that former DG (Audit) R P Singh be summoned and asked why he differs with CAG on the quantum of loss while Congress members opposed the move. With differences persisting, the meeting was adjourned in New Delhi on Monday. The meeting scheduled for Tuesday has also been postponed reportedly on as Chhath festival falls on Tuesday. Sources said the BJP and other opposition parties insisted that Singh should be summoned as he has differed with the figures of loss incurred by the government in the 2-G scam. Singh, who has now retired, has stated that the loss is merely of Rs 6,000 Crore while the CAG had maintained that it was to the tune of Rs 1.76 Lakh Crore. Prakash Javadekar (BJP) demanded that not only Singh but others like Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal- who said there was zero loss- among others, should be summoned by the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and asked how they had arrived at figures different from that of the CAG. AIADMK member M Thambidurai insisted that the CBI director should also be called as the agency had arrived at a different loss figure. BJP, BJD, SAD and AIDMK referred to the letter written by Congress member Sanjay Nirupam asking that the 2-G issue be discussed and said the questions which have not been addressed should be gone into. Congress members argued that Singh cannot be asked to present his views infront of the CAG and his team- which is present in every PAC meeting- as he does not concur with them. The Opposition members demanded that since Singh has retired he has nothing to fear and so can freely depose before the PAC. One member even maintained that there have been several instances where those summoned by the Committee have differed with the CAG. With no consensus in sight, PAC Chairperson Murli Manohar Joshi adjourned the meeting on the ground that the legal and Constitutional aspects related to the issues raised by the members on Monday will be looked into and then brought up for discussion at a later meeting. R P Singh, who had come prepared to attend the meeting and make his presentation, was not called on Monday.(DD-31.10)