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The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probing the spectrum licence allocations since 1998 seems to be heading towards a political showdown. The JPC Chairman, Mr P.C Chacko’s suggestion to start drafting the report without summoning more witnesses was ruled out by the panel. Now, there are indications that at least all former Telecom Ministers since 1998 will be summoned before the panel for collecting evidence on spectrum allocation.
Members in the panel belonging to Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left parties have given separate lists of politicians to be summoned before the panel. On Tuesday, Mr Chacko was told by the panel to prepare a list of witnesses and present it before the panel in its meeting scheduled next week.
Mr Chacko announced in the meeting that since the panel had completed collecting evidence from almost all key officials, the process of drafting the report could be started. But BJP and Left members were opposed to this and said that the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Home Minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, former Telecom Ministers, Mr A Raja and Mr Dayanidhi Maran, and officials in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Pulok Chatterjee, and Mr T.K.A Nair, should be summoned.
The Congress protested and instead demanded that key Ministers and officials during the National Democratic Alliance Government such as Ms Sushma Swaraj, Mr Arun Shourie and Mr Brajesh Mishra also be summoned. Mr Chacko had to intervene to resolve the differences between panel members. Later, he said suggestions from all members would be considered before preparing a list of witnesses in the next meeting.
A senior Opposition member in the panel said the Congress tried to politicise the JPC’s work. “The Congress was trying to conclude the work of the panel without summoning key individuals involved in the scam,” he said.
Mr Chacko, however, said there was unanimity that the procedures be completed by December. “We will finalise the list of witnesses in the next meeting. To submit the report in January, we will have to consider the draft report at least October onwards. We have three more months to take evidences from other witnesses,” Mr Chacko told Business Line .
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