The 2G controversy rocked Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting here today with the Opposition parties demanding that the former DG (Audit), Mr R.P. Singh, be summoned and asked why he differs with CAG on the quantum of loss while the Congress members opposed the move.
With differences persisting, the meeting was adjourned. The meeting scheduled for tomorrow has also been postponed reportedly on as Chhath festival falls tomorrow.
According to sources, the BJP and other Opposition parties insisted that Mr Singh should be summoned as he has differed with the figures of loss incurred by the Government in the 2G scam. Mr 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.
Mr Prakash Javadekar (BJP) demanded that not only Mr Singh but also others like the Telecom Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal, who said there was zero loss, among others, should be summoned by the PAC and asked how they had arrived at figures different from that of the CAG.
AIADMK member, Mr 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, Mr Sanjay Nirupam, asking that the 2G issue be discussed and said the questions which have not been addressed should be gone into.
Caught in a bind over Mr Nirupam’s letter, Congress members today argued that Mr Singh cannot be asked to present his views in front of the CAG and his team — which is present in every PAC meeting — as he does not concur with them.
Some Congress members in the PAC were later heard saying that Mr Nirupam had caused an unnecessary hassle by writing this letter. The matter is now with the JPC and PAC could have avoided getting into the issue afresh.
The Opposition members demanded that since Mr 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, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, adjourned the meeting on the ground that the legal and constitutional aspects related to the issues raised by the members today will be looked into and then brought up for discussion at a later meeting.
Mr R.P. Singh, who had come prepared to attend the meeting and make his presentation, was not called in today.