 "Opposition parties plan to vote out Chacko from JPC")
Opposition members of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on telecom, who have challenged the panel’s draft report on 2G spectrum scam, might demand voting on whether P C Chacko should continue as its chairman.
The draft report had, among other things, concluded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had been misled by former telecom minister A Raja.
To chalk out their strategy, opposition parties have been meeting at the headquarter of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for the past two days.
The Rule 261 of the Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha on parliamentary committees states that ‘all questions at any sitting of a committee shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members present and voting,’ and it is only in case of an equality of votes that the chairman has a second or casting vote, some opposition members have pointed out.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had rejected the 2G report of the public accounts committee (PAC), prepared by Murli Manohar Joshi, through a majority vote.
“If the JPC draft report is rejected or PC Chacko is removed as the chairman, then it will be the first time such a thing happening,“ said another JPC member, who also did not want to be named.
Out of the 30-member JPC, opposition parties such as BJP, Left parties, BJD and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam together have the support of 15 members and they have demanded Chacko quit as the chairman because they have “no confidence” in him. Interestingly, two of the former allies of UPA — the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam — have also sided with the Opposition parties.
There are more problems for the Congress as the Samajwadi Party, which supports the UPA government from outside, has stated it would not support the draft report if Raja is not called before the parliamentary committee. BJP, along with Left parties, have already demanded PM Singh and FM P Chidambaram appear before JPC.
The draft report had, among other things, concluded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had been misled by former telecom minister A Raja.
To chalk out their strategy, opposition parties have been meeting at the headquarter of Biju Janata Dal (BJD) for the past two days.
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“It seems Chacko doesn’t know what has to be done. If he calls for a JPC meeting, then he will be voted out because 15 members of the Opposition don’t want him as the chairman. If Chacko doesn’t call a meeting, then he will need to get the parliamentary committee term extended, which is ending on May 10,” said a JPC member, requesting anonymity. “Whenever the JPC meets, we will ensure that he doesn’t continue as the chairman.”
The Rule 261 of the Rules of Procedures and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha on parliamentary committees states that ‘all questions at any sitting of a committee shall be determined by a majority of votes of the members present and voting,’ and it is only in case of an equality of votes that the chairman has a second or casting vote, some opposition members have pointed out.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders said the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had rejected the 2G report of the public accounts committee (PAC), prepared by Murli Manohar Joshi, through a majority vote.
“If the JPC draft report is rejected or PC Chacko is removed as the chairman, then it will be the first time such a thing happening,“ said another JPC member, who also did not want to be named.
Out of the 30-member JPC, opposition parties such as BJP, Left parties, BJD and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam together have the support of 15 members and they have demanded Chacko quit as the chairman because they have “no confidence” in him. Interestingly, two of the former allies of UPA — the Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam — have also sided with the Opposition parties.
There are more problems for the Congress as the Samajwadi Party, which supports the UPA government from outside, has stated it would not support the draft report if Raja is not called before the parliamentary committee. BJP, along with Left parties, have already demanded PM Singh and FM P Chidambaram appear before JPC.