Undeterred by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar returning the panel's controversial report on 2G scam, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairperson Murli Manohar Joshi today said the issue was not over yet and he would place the document in the new committee to decide its fate.
Joshi, who is also chairperson of the new PAC that came into effect from May 1, 2011, said, "The 2G report, which has been returned by the Speaker, will be tabled in the new PAC and it will then decide what should be done."
He was non-committal on whether the Committee would resort to voting in the PAC to decide the next course of action.
There are major divisions between the Congress and its allies on one side and BJP, JD(U) on the other on whether the 2G spectrum scam should be dealt with by the PAC now as a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has already been formed.
An unfazed Joshi today said the document he submitted to the Speaker was a "PAC report" and not just his report. However, he maintained that deciding what should be done with the report was the "prerogative of the Speaker" and she had chosen to return it.
While dealing with the Rs 1.76 lakh crore telecom scam, Joshi had faced a lot of opposition from PAC members belonging to the Congress-led UPA as well as outside supporters of the government, namely the SP and BSP.
During the last meeting of the last PAC, Joshi had to "adjourn" the proceedings as the Congress members indulged in "filibustering" and did not permit conduct of business.
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Earlier, Cabinet Secretary KM Chandrasekar and Principal Secretary in PMO TKA Nair could not depose before the committee as the ruling party members did not permit the proceedings to take place.
He, however, went ahead and prepared the report on 2G spectrum allocation scam. Despite the Congress, DMK, SP and BSP members categorically informing Joshi that since the proceedings on 2G scam case had not been completed and some important people involved in the scam had not been called to depose, a report could not be prepared.
Joshi ignored these arguments and submitted the report to the Speaker on April 30, 2011.
Talking to reporters here today, Joshi said "no reason was given" by the Speaker for her decision to return the report.
He refused to speak further on the communication he received from Kumar along with the report, saying the details will come out when the matter comes up before the new PAC.
Since the ruling coalition in a majority in the new PAC as well, when Joshi brings the controversial report in the committee another sparring session between the UPA members and the opposition is likely to take place.
Congress members in the new PAC have already indicated that they would not allow the new panel to take up the 2G spectrum allocation scam as JPC is already looking into it.