The political divide in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has got deeper, with BJP member Nishikant Dubey writing to Speaker Sumitra Mahajan against its chairman, K.V. Thomas, for a statement that the panel had power to summon the Prime Minister.
The January 10 letter says it was a unilateral statement. “Such an announcement is wrong and unethical and against laid out parliamentary procedure and your [Speaker’s] directions,” he said.
He resented Mr. Thomas’ summoning of Finance Ministry officials for a meeting on January 20 when they would be busy with preparations for the Union Budget. Mr. Dubey asked Ms. Mahajan to intervene and ask Mr. Thomas to recall his remarks.
Mr. Dubey cited rule 55 (1), (1A) and (2) which pertains to the confidentiality of proceedings of parliamentary committees and allowing of summons: “The proceedings of a committee shall be treated as confidential and it shall not be permissible for a member of the committee or any one who has access to its proceedings to communicate, directly or indirectly, to the press any information regarding its proceedings, including its reports or any conclusions arrived at, finally or tentatively, before the report has been presented to the House.”
Mr. Thomas had, on Monday, said the PAC had the powers to summon Prime Minister Modi as it sits down to discuss the monetary policy following demonetisation.
“We have the powers to summon anyone, be it Prime Minister or even Ministers,” he said.
Mr. Dubey wondered how the PAC chairman could make such an announcement without discussion with members of the committee.
Another member of the PAC, not belonging to either the Congress or the BJP, said that writing to the Speaker on such an issue would achieve nothing. “I don’t know in what context Mr. Thomas said what he did, and I believe he has issued some clarification. In any case, what can the Speaker do in such a situation?”
