‘UPA Govt trying to divide PAC on party lines’

The UPA Government is trying to make the PAC a “puppet” in its hands and divide it on party lines when the mandate of the panel is to be bipartisan, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, chairperson of the parliamentary committee that examined the 2G spectrum scam, has said.

“It is shocking that four ministers were sitting in the Parliament office of the Congress and sending chits and giving directions to their members in the PAC to do this or do that. In a way they are making PAC a captive committee,” Mr Joshi told reporters here today.

He maintained that the PAC is not supposed to work on party lines.

“They (union ministers) want to make PAC a puppet. They want to run it on the directions of the government and the party (Congress). A probe against corruption cannot be held with these big hurdles,” Mr Joshi said.

The Union Ministers Mr Kapil Sibal, Mr P. Chidambaram, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal and Mr N. Narayansamy were present in Parliament on April 28 when the PAC meeting was on. Mr Joshi has alleged that they were sending directions to Congress members while the proceedings were on.

“It is as if they (Congress members) are actors and these people (ministers) are producers. This is a serious insult to the parliamentary process,” he said.

The senior BJP leader said while the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, had said that immediate action should be taken against those indulging in corruption, his own ministerial colleagues were making all efforts to stop the probe against corruption.

“Is there no effect of his advice on his council of ministers? The Parliamentary Affairs Minister told a PAC member from another party to be on his side. In PAC there are no parties. What is this or that side? PAC is above parties and is bipartisan,” Mr Joshi said.

Alleging that SP and BSP had changed sides on the 2G spectrum probe, he asked the two parties to clarify why they did so.

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