BJP gives privilege notice against JPC chief

DMK to push for Chacko’s removal, SP sets conditions.

The BJP gave notice for moving a breach of privilege motion in both Houses of Parliament against joint parliamentary committee (JPC) chairperson PC Chacko for leakage of the panel’s report on the 2G spectrum allocation issue.

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BJP MP Yashwant Sinha gave the notice to move the motion in the Lok Sabha while Ravi Shankar Prasad has submitted a similar notice in the Rajya Sabha.

The notice says that any unauthorised leakage of the JPC report is a breach of privilege of Parliament and action should be initiated against those responsible for it.

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party said its members would not affix their signatures on the draft JPC report, adding to the UPA’s plan to get the report adopted by the panel.

“Unless former telecom minister A Raja is provided an opportunity to clarify his position, we cannot support the draft,” SP leader Naresh Agarwal told HT.

BJP sources said the party wants that as chairperson of JPC, which has members from both Houses of Parliament, Chacko should explain how the report was leaked to the media.

Sources said an SMS was received by JPC members on April 18 around 7 pm that copies of the draft report will be sent to their local addresses. While the members kept waiting till the next day, copies of the report were leaked to the media.

BJP is also going to oppose adoption of the JPC report which is scheduled to take place on April 25. The party is miffed at the accusation levelled against former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the JPC report wherein his government has been held responsible for causing a loss of R42,000 crore to the exchequer due to its telecom policy.

Meanwhile, DMK leader TR Baalu said he had given a notice of breach of parliamentary privilege against Chacko over the leakage of the JPC draft report. He said the DMK would seek Chacko’s removal as the JPC chief.

Meanwhile, Chacko, welcoming a probe into the leak, denied naming former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in his draft report on the 2G spectrum issue.

“They (opposition parties) have not blamed me. The matter is how it got leaked to the media. I am not accused for it,” Chacko said.