The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has, in its draft report on the 2G scam, indicted the former Communications and IT Minister, Mr A. Raja, for misleading the Prime Minister on issues related to pricing spectrum.
The draft report also rapped the Prime Minister's Office, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Finance Ministry for being silent bystanders even as Mr Raja was flouting rules. “The Committee's conclusion is that the former Communications Minister deliberately misled the PM in to order to fulfil his nefarious design leading to staggering loss of revenue,” the draft report said.
“The Committee views it most as unfortunate that the Finance Ministry instead of initiating stringent and swift action against all those responsible for the whopping loss to the exchequer pleaded with the PM to treat the matter closed,” it added. Taking note of how Mr Raja managed to keep out the issue of spectrum pricing from the terms of reference given to the Group of Ministers, the PAC report states that the Cabinet Secretary and the PMO knew about these developments but did not take corrective actions.
“The PMO certainly either failed to see the foreboding or was rendered a mute spectator,” the report said.
The report drafted by the PAC Chairman, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, will come up for consideration at Thursday's meeting. Members of the Congress party have dismissed the findings.