As the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) prepares to go into the 2G spectrum allocation issue, its chief, P.C. Chacko, has made it clear that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be called before the panel only if it was “absolutely necessary” and there was a “consensus” among members.
He pointed out that none of the four earlier JPCs had called a Prime Minister and that such a step would be taken only if it was required for the “fair conclusion” of the Committee's work.
“Calling the Prime Minister before JPC is the last step, and not the first step. Such a step can be taken only when it is absolutely necessary and there is consensus among the members,” Mr. Chacko told PTI.
Regarding Dr. Singh's offer to appear before any panel, the JPC Chairman said the matter, if raised by any member, would be deliberated upon by the Committee and a decision reached by consensus.
Meeting on March 24
Mr. Chacko, who is a Congress MP from Kerala's Thrissur, said the 30-member JPC, which will hold its first meeting on March 24, would examine the telecom policy that had been in place from 1998 to 2008, its implementation, the pricing of spectrum and issuance of licences.
The aim was to ascertain if there were any problems in the system and its implementation and recommend actions.
In this connection, the Committee intends to seek, from the ministries concerned, all relevant documents and records of communications between various departments.
The Committee would be calling secretaries and other top officials in the Telecom and other relevant ministries. Ministers — present or former — would be called only if necessary.
The formation of the JPC brought down the curtains on a three-month deadlock, in both the Houses of Parliament, between the government and the Opposition. The Opposition had latched on to the Comptroller and Auditor-General report on alleged irregularities in 2G spectrum allocations, which had pegged a presumptive loss to the national exchequer at Rs.1.76 lakh crore.
