was not the priority of BJP, while Congress was quite happy with PAC. Now BJP is high on PAC while Congress wants it wound-up. However, BJP veteran M M Joshi has emerged politically stronger through these twists and turns .
The Congress at one time was dead against Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into 2G scam while the BJP was so bent on having JPC that it virtually stalled a whole session of Parliament. The Congress was then telling BJP, that a PAC headed by veteran BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi is already probing into 2G Scam so there was no need for a JPC. Congress even tried to extol Joshi saying he is a veteran Parliamentarian. In fact Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised not just full cooperation of his government to Joshi-led PAC probe, but also offered to appear before PAC, if called for, but the BJP was then not satisfied. The latter wanted JPC at any cost.
Thereafter reluctantly Congress agreed to set up JPC headed by Congress leader P C Chacko. But soon things began to change. Joshi, who was considered as inconsequential by the Congress and a spent-force by his own party, suddenly became a big threat to Congress-led UPA when he summoned as key witnesses the Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T K A Nair. What got Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), comprising the DMK, more worried is when they got the inkling that Joshi was keen on finalising PAC findings before his term ended on July 30. The UPA combine now began insisting that PAC should drop the whole inquiry and let the JPC inquire into the whole thing unhindered.
The tables had turned, now the BJP wanted PAC and Congress wanted JPC. The BJP wanted to focus on PAC, knowing well that with their own man at the helm of the probe, there was a greater scope of political advantage that of causing damage on UPA. The BJP realized it had a better chance of indicting the government (UPA) in PAC. A wise Congress on the other hand saw their own reputation safer in the hands Chacko-led JPC. On many counts UPA also contended that since the matter was subjudice and criminal investigation was on, the PAC inquiry would unnecessarily double the effort and cause confusion. The UPA also argued that there was no PAC inquiry into Bofors, the Harshad Mehta and the Ketan Parekh scams. The BJP on the other hand claimed it did not matter even if double probe took place.
Thus on Thursday 28 April, when the PAC met to finalise the report the battle lines were drawn. Joshi had deftly circulated a draft report among PAC members beforehand which was to be adopted. The UPA members were incensed to find the report making severe indictments, not only against former telecom minister A Raja but also against the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) as well as against present home minister and the then finance minister P Chidambaram, for failing to take action against those responsible for causing a huge loss to the exchequer. The report had deplored the fact that Mr Chidambaram at the time of grant of telecom licenses in 2008, recommended to the Prime Minister to “treat the matter as closed.”
“The Finance Minister In his note dated 15th January 2008 acknowledges that Spectrum is a scarce resource and the price of Spectrum should be based on its scarcity value and efficiency of usage but made a unique and condescending suggestion that the matter be treated as closed,” the report said. The report castigated the FM for failing to take stringent and swift action against those responsible for the losses, instead he had pleaded with the PM to treat the matter as closed, the draft report noted.
“The former communications and IT minister A Raja, manipulated the powerful Telecom Commission, the Department of Telecom’s decision making body, to favour the companies in granting 2G licenses in 2008,” the draft PAC report into the 2G Scam said. It also pointed out that how the DoT under Raja bypassed the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on important issues particularly those relating to the grant of new licenses.
The draft report gave yet another new figure of loss to exchequer. It said the loss amounted to the tune of Rs 1.90 lakh crore in the grant of 122 licenses in 2008 dual technology licenses and extra spectrum. It may be recalled that the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report on 15 November 2010, had put the loss as Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer due to spectrum scam.
The report also came down heavily on the PMO and the Cabinet Secretariat for failing to respond to the situation and taking corrective action. Not sparing even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh the report said “the Prime Minister wanting to keep the PMO at arm’s length” from the 2G spectrum issue, seemed to have given an “indirect green signal” to the former Telecom Minister A Raja to go ahead and execute his unfair, arbitrary and dubious designs.”
The PAC draft report was submitted by PAC chairman M M Joshi to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, amidst stiff opposition from the Congress and DMK members in the Committee. They alleged the report was “full of lies” and did not have the endorsement of a majority of the PAC members.
The latter had charged Joshi of distorting facts, of not allowing them to have their say, of not taking the view of the majority by division of vote. They had also charged him of “outsourcing” the report and also “leaking” the report before being circulated and considered by all the members.
Even as 11 of the 21 members of the PAC had rejected the draft report, Joshi decided to go ahead and submit the report to the Speaker for being tabled in the Parliament. When the UPA members in the Committee like K S Rao, Saifuddin Soz, Arun Kumar and Navin Jindal vehemently opposed and demanded for a division of vote, the PAC chairman, Joshi walked out saying he would be submitting the report to the Speaker. Joshi said later as chairman of the PAC he was empowered by rules of Parliament to submit the findings examined by the PAC to the Speaker, so that it may be tabled in the Parliament. Joshi insisted that he had followed the rules and procedures of Parliament.
The seven members of the PAC led by Congress MP K S Rao sought Joshi’s resignation as PAC chief. They later told the press, they would meet Speaker Meira Kumar and seek her protection for their rights as members of PAC. “The chairman cannot be allowed to bulldoze the report through, he said. He also charged that Joshi showed a “pre-determined biased mind,” as he had included in the report deposition of cabinet secretary and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister when they did not appear before the committee. (They had however given their responses to the questions sent to them). Saifuddin Soz charged Joshi of not calling the witnesses they had asked for examination.
Nevertheless, with Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar reappointing Joshi as PAC chairman, this Sunday, the BJP politician had won this round of battle. The Speaker, a veteran politician herself, had simply gone by the rules and was not swayed by the tempers running high in her own party (Congress). Whether the Speaker accepts Joshi’s draft PAC report or suggests something else is totally her prerogative.
But the fact remains that through the twists and turns over PAC and JPC between the two major political parties- the BJP and the Congress, the real gainer is the 77 year old veteran old political war horse from Kumaon Hills, who is best remembered for hoisting the tri-colour at Lal Chawk in Jammu and Kashmir at the peak of militancy.