UPA dividing PAC on party lines: Joshi

Four ministers were giving directions to PAC members

PTI | May 10, 2011



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, Murli Manohar Joshi, chairperson of the parliamentary committee that examined the 2G spectrum scam, today 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," Joshi told reporters here.

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 directions of the government and the party (Congress). A probe against corruption cannot be held with these big hurdles," Joshi said.

Union Ministers Kapil Sibal, P Chidambaram, Pawan Kumar Bansal and N Narayansamy were present in Parliament on April 28 when the PAC meeting was on. 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 Prime Minister 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," 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.

"I want to ask SP and BSP to clarify whether they want to stop the probe against corruption to what it to continue? In Uttar Pradesh, they fight against each other and at the Centre they are together. What is the mystery behind it.

People want clear answers as to which party is with and which against corruption," Joshi said.

He wondered how SP and BSP had changed their stand on the 2G probe towards the end of the last PAC's term when all along they had supported the probe.

Joshi also said the bank drafts for applying for the 2G license were made a day before the announcement and that too in Mumbai.

Comments

 

Other News

How Rafi, Raj Kapoor helped pave the way for a great uranium deal

There`s a certain moment in diplomacy that`s too personal to be captured in a communiqué, too small to make the front page, but more revealing than the front page. This week, prime minister Narendra Modi reached Tashkent and, amid the pomp of state visits, managed to evoke the old Bollywood tunes

Distinguishing Fish 1 and Fish 2: The pragmatism behind India’s WTO ratification

 India became the 123rd WTO member to ratify the multilateral Agreement on Fisheries subsidies (AoFS) when it deposited the Instrument of Acceptance for Phase 1 on July 20, 2026. The ratification is restricted to disciplining Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU), protection for overfished

The 7% growth problem: Why the next 7% will be harder

India has become accustomed to hearing the 7% growth number. It is now less a milestone than an expectation. Yet the paradox is becoming clearer: maintaining 7% growth may be considerably harder than achieving it once. India’s real GDP grew 7.7% in FY2025–26, following growth of 6.5% in FY202

The Constitution cannot be altered: Justice Abhay Oka

Justice Abhay Oka, who retired from the Supreme Court in May 2025, has said that the Constitution of India cannot be altered. Explaining the landmark Kesavananda Bharati judgment (1973) on the basic structure of the Constitution, he said, “This is one judgment that has saved democracy in India.&rdq

How the flora and fauna evolved in the Indian subcontinent

Mammals of India  By A.J.T. Johnsingh and P.O. Nameer HarperCollins India in association with Bombay Natural History Society  

India`s renewable race is moving beyond megawatts

When Shell bought Sprng Energy in 2022, India`s renewable energy market appeared to offer precisely what global energy majors were seeking: scale, growth and a place in one of the world`s largest energy transitions. Four years later, Shell is selling the same business to Aditya Birla Group for an enterpris

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter