PAC will reportedly summon senior officials over demonetization after the Budget Session.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament will summon senior officials of the Finance ministry after the Budget Session, ANI reported quoting sources.
A storm was kicked up by the ruling party members on PAC chairman KV Thomas' statement earlier this week that the committee can call Prime Minister Narendra Modi to depose on the note ban issue.
Virtually rejecting its Thomas' view, the PAC on Friday decided that the Prime Minister will not be called before it after BJP members strongly objected to the Congress leader's remarks that he may be asked to appear over the demonetization issue.
Referring to the Speaker's directions related to the rules overseeing financial committees and those concerning calling Prime Minister/Ministers, the committee said in a release, "Ministers shall not be called before the Committee either to give evidence or consultation in connection with the examination of estimates of accounts.However, Chairperson, when considered necessary but after its deliberations are concluded, may have an informal interaction with the Minister."
BJP members including Nishikant Dubey, Bhupender Yadav, and Kirit Somaiya had raised the issue of Thomas' statement and said the committee does not have powers to summon the Prime Minister.
Dubey had earlier written to the Lok Sabha Speaker saying that Thomas' remarks that Modi could be called to appear before it over the issue of demonetization is "wrong, unethical and against laid out Parliamentary procedures".
In the meeting, Thomas is believed to have clarified that what he meant was that the Committee can summon the Prime Minister if it takes a unanimous decision and cautioned against "killing the institution".
The statement said officials may be called to give evidence in connection with the examination of estimates and accounts relating to particular ministries as per the existing rules but not Prime Minister or Ministers.
During the UPA government too, the then PAC Chairperson Murli Manohar Joshi's decision to summon the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in connection with the 2G scam had triggered a massive row with Congress members strongly objecting to it. Joshi was overruled as the ruling coalition enjoyed a majority in the committee.
A BJP leader said there was only one instance of a minister being called by the PAC which was in 1996 and that too because he went on his own. The then agriculture minister C Subramaniam had appeared before PAC over a CAG report. Urjit Patel is expected to appear at the next meeting of the committee on January 20.
With inputs from PTI.
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