Eleven of the dissenting members who had elected Saifuddin Soz as chairman at the meeting on Thursday, having claimed that Murli Manohar Joshi walked out in a huff and having passed a resolution rejecting the draft report, have submitted the resolution to the speaker.
On the last day of the present PAC’s term in office, chairman Murli Manohar Joshi told press reporters that he did not seek an appointment with Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar and that as per parliamentary practice had sent the report on the 2G spectrum issue to her.
Eleven of the dissenting members — from the Congress, DMK, SP and BSP — who had elected Saifuddin Soz as chairman at the meeting on Thursday, having claimed that Joshi walked out in a huff and having passed a resolution rejecting the draft report, have submitted the resolution to the speaker.
One of them claimed that he had met Kumar personally and handed over the resolution. Both Joshi and the dissenters said that now it is for the speaker to decide. The dissenters seemed confident that the speaker has no option but to accept their resolution. Joshi sounded less confident and said that if the report is to be rejected, he would take the issue of corruption directly to the people.
Joshi refuted the charge that he had acted against majority view in the committee. He said that once he had ‘adjourned’ the meeting, whatever the dissenting members did - passing the resolution, rejecting the report - was not valid.
He said, “A minister has said that we will throw the report into the dustbin. You can criticise the report but you cannot throw it into the dustbin. This is an onslaught on the parliament and on democracy.”
Union minister for parliamentary affairs Pawan Bansal speaking to DNA over telephone said in categorical terms, “There is no report in the eye of the law. It was a draft report and the committee did not endorse it or give the chairman mandate to forward it to the Speaker. It is preposterous for Mr Joshi to have sent a draft report and claim that it is the final version.”
In a scathing rebuttal, Bansal went on to say that the opposition had acted immorally and blown to smithereens parliamentary conventions by ignoring the majority view in the PAC.
Asked if the final call on the report rests with the speaker, Bansal shot back, “I have no doubt in my mind that there is no call involved in the matter The report has no legal status.”
Responding to a query as to why the PAC did not look at the whole period from 2003-2004 to 2009-2010, covered by the CAG in its report on the 2G spectrum allocation issue, Joshi said that this decision was taken by the previous PAC (whose term covered the 2009-2010). He said the PAC had taken this decision on January 19, 2010 and this was much before the CAG report on spectrum came out in November 2010. When he took over as chairman of the PAC in May 2010, he simply continued with the work started by the previous PAC.
About the Congress’ intention to oppose his continuance as chairman of the PAC, Joshi said that was not sure whether he would continue to be the chairman of the new committee though he would remain a member. He added that it is for the speaker to decide in the matter.
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