The Joint Parliamentary Committee JPC looking into the 2G scam assumed political overtones once again after BJP members today walked out of the proceedings alleging that they were not permitted to take up the issue of finalizing witnesses to be called to depose before the committee. Earlier on August 22 too, BJP members had walked out of the JPC protesting that they were not allowed to put forward Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram as witnesses. NDA ally JD(U) spoke out in support of the BJP stance, accusing the Congress members on the committee of denying the opposition the right to debate, over the list of witnesses.
JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav said, “Yashwant Sinha told me that he sought a discussion on the list of witnesses in the 2G case. But they (Congress members) refused to give time for this. How can they refuse the demand for a debate? If you don't conduct debates how do you plan to get any result in the 2G case”. He reiterated that boycotts and debates are part of Parliamentary process including JPC to ensure result-oriented functioning of these bodies.
BJP members have alleged that they had sought a debate over the list of witnesses but committee Chairman P C Chacko ( also Congress spokesperson) insisted that the panel would first take oral evidence from former Finance Secretary and present RBI Governor D Subbarao, who appeared before the JPC today. Subbarao was the Finance Secretary between April 2007 and September 2008.