The editorial on the report of Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which is examining the loss to the exchequer in the 2G spectrum allocation scandal (April 30), was interesting. The leak of the draft should not be the reason for derailing the fundamental objective of the PAC, whose primary function is to assess the financial irregularities in the functioning of various ministries and supporting departments. The way members belonging to the ruling and Opposition parties are behaving will only demean constitutional bodies such as the PAC and the Joint Parliamentary Committee.
E. Krishnadas,
Palakkad
It is quite clear that the Congress and its allies will stoop to any level to scuttle any probe/report if the needle of suspicion points to them. The 2G scam will soon form part of the list of scandals that are household names — Bofors, Harshad Mehta, Telgi, CWG, Adarsh and Kargil, to name a few. Character assassination, verbal abuse and other cheap gimmicks seem to be the order of the day to discredit any attempt at transparency. Who can forget the day when a leading member of the UPA said there was no loss to the exchequer in the 2G spectrum allocation issue?
R. Gopalakrishnan,
Chennai
The PAC and other standing committees exist as a testament to the highest parliamentary practices put in place by our founding fathers to ensure the continuation of our parliamentary democracy. The unseemly slug-fest that has unfolded is avoidable as the time-tested rule that one cannot be a judge in one's own case is well established.
K.K. Luthria,
Bangalore
It is unfortunate that the parties allegedly involved in the 2G scam are now doing their best to nullify the PAC draft report. When the Prime Minister himself offered to appear before the PAC, I thought it was an acknowledgement of the vast powers such a committee has. The latest incidents prove me wrong.
P. Karthigeyan,
Madurai
The funny and disappointing behaviour of our law-makers, parliamentarians, and elected representatives make us bow our heads in shame. The election of Congressman Saifuddin Soz to the chair and organising a ‘vote' to reject the draft wholesale after PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi had ‘adjourned' the meeting is an example. Instances like these make us pessimistic about the outcome of a JPC.
Puneet Gupta,
Patiala
The behaviour of members of the ruling coalition in rejecting the draft PAC report is a travesty of democracy. After playing cat and mouse with the judiciary, the Election Commission and the Central Vigilance Commission, perhaps it is now time to play havoc with the PAC. Those who cry hoarse about corruption in Parliament now seem to have joined hands in baling out the corrupt. It seems to be a coalition of corrupt forces.
A. Gajanana,
Bangalore
