The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) may not summon the Attorney-General and the Comptroller and Auditor General over the public auditor’s report on the Rafale deal, as a majority of the members, including those from the Opposition parties, do not favour the proposal by its Chairman Mallikarjun Kharge.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that the Supreme Court cited, in its verdict, a report by the CAG on the deal that was submitted to the PAC, but no such report was given. On Saturday, Mr. Kharge said he would request all members of the committee to summon the Attorney-General and the CAG to find out when the public auditor’s report was tabled in Parliament.
Senior BJD MP Bhartuhari Mahtab said the PAC Chairman could call the Attorney-General and the CAG in his personal capacity, but not before the entire committee as the Rafale deal was not part of its agenda for 2018-19. The CAG report was not placed before the committee, he said. Mr. Mahtab, the longest serving member, said the remarks of the two officials could not be recorded if they were called in the personal capacity of a member.
TDP MP C.M. Ramesh said that if the members wished, the committee might call the Attorney-General and the CAG, but only after the report was tabled in Parliament.
The NDA MPs are opposed to the idea. The BJP members said it would amount to “questioning” the Supreme Court. “The Supreme Court has given a clean chit to the government, and it is unfortunate that the Congress and a seasoned politician like Mr. Kharge are politicising this sensitive issue of national security,” BJP MP Anurag Thakur said.
Gopal Shetty, another BJP MP, sought to know how the Chairman could call the two officials to discuss a topic that was not on the committee’s agenda and when the CAG report was not placed before the committee.
Prem Singh Chandumajra of the Shiromani Akali Dal, a BJP ally, said it would be unfair to start questioning the Supreme Court’s order.
In the 22-member committee, the BJP has 12 MPs, and its allies Shiv Sena and SAD have one each. The Congress has three members, including Mr. Kharge. There are two TMC MPs and one member each of the TDP, the BJD and the AIADMK.
