AICC slams Joshi for trying to revive controversial PAC report

New Delhi (PTI) - A fresh confrontation broke
out Tuesday between the Congress and the Opposition over the
2G issue with the All India Congress Committee (AICC) slamming
senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murali Manohar
Joshi's attempt to revive the controversial PAC report.
"Stop sacrificing Parliamentary propriety at the altar
of political expediency. The tenure of the old Public Accounts
Committee (PAC) is over and a new PAC is in place.
"Why a report of the previous committee which has been
rejected by the majority is being pushed down the throat of
the new PAC. This when a JPC has been constituted with a
specific purpose to look into the 2G issue," party
spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters here.
He was replying to a volley of questions on Joshi's
attempt to make the PAC take up his controversial report on
the 2G scam prepared during the tenure of the last committee,
which was strongly opposed by Congress members.
In view of divisions in the Public Accounts Committee
(PAC), it was decided that Constitutional experts would be
consulted on whether the report, which was recently returned
by Speaker Meira Kumar, can be considered by it.
Tewari, however, said, "It perplexes me completely
when very senior and distinguished members of the Supreme
legislative body officially decide to sacrifice Parliamentary
convention and traditions at the altar of political
expediency."
Reacting sharply to the BJP's support to Joshi's move,
Tewari asked whether BJP does not have its members in JPC,
which has an "issue specific" mandate to look into 2G scam.
Tewari said if rejected reports began being considered
as unfinished task, then every unfinished task would be a
perpetuity.
"The approach can not be my way or his way. It can
only be one of consenus. Joshi should accept the verdict of
the majority of PAC members, who had rejected the report, and
allow the matter to rest," he said.
Tewari said it was the same JPC for which the
"Opposition had held Parliament to ransom" washing away the
entire winter session saying PAC cannot investigate the issue
even after the government telling them to allow the
Parliamentary body to complete its inquiry.
"Now after getting a JPC it is unreasonable for them
to still keep insisting that PAC should be allowed to perform.
It is unreasonable even by the standards of unreasonableness,"
he said.
Tewari said the PAC should have deferred the matter to
JPC one the latter was constituted specifically to look into
the 2G issue.
He said if JPC found it necessary it could factor in
the findigs of the PAC in the course of its probe.