Thaindian News

New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Congress MPs of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) looking into the 2G spectrum allocation scam Monday opposed the panel’s move to hear former director general (Audit) R.P. Singh on why his assessment of the losses was much lower than the Comptroller and Auditor General’s, forcing adjournment of the PAC meeting.

MPs from the opposition wanted to ask Singh, who retired recently, why he differed with the CAG assessment. Congress MPs argued that Singh could not be asked to present his views while the CAG and his entire team was present in the PAC meeting, sources said.

Singh had pegged the loss incurred by the government in 2G spectrum allocation at Rs.6,000 crore, almost miniscule compared to the CAG’s assessment of Rs.1.76 lakh crore.

With differences widening, PAC chairman Murli Manohar Joshi adjourned the meeting, noting that the legal and constitutional aspects raised by the members would be examined and the matter taken up for discussion at another meeting.

The sources said the chairman will examine the parliamentary conventions and documents submitted to him on issues concerning the presence of CAG at the meeting.

They said that CAG had offered to recuse himself from the meeting after Congress members raised the issue that Singh could not be asked to speak in his presence. However, Joshi felt that CAG’s presence was necessary as he is part of PAC.

As the differences continued, Joshi, who is a BJP MP, adjourned the meeting for the day. The PAC, which was originally scheduled to meet Tuesday also, decided to do away with that meeting in view of the Chhath festival, the sources said.

Singh, who had come prepared to present his views to the PAC, was not summoned to the meeting and remained waiting outside the meeting hall.

JP’s Prakash Javadekar wanted not only Singh but others too like Communications Minister Kapil Sibal, who had said there was zero loss in 2G allocation, to be summoned before the committee.

AIADMK MP M. Thambidurai insisted that the CBI director should also be called, as the agency had arrived at a different figure.

Supported by the Biju Janata Dal and the Shiromani Akali Dal, the opposition parties referred to the letter written by Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam asking that the 2G issue be discussed, and said questions that had not been addressed be gone into.