BJP’s PM-as-witness demand back on table

The BJP on Tuesday demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and finance ninister P Chidambaram appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probing the 2G spectrum scam.

The BJP on Tuesday demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and finance ninister P Chidambaram appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probing the 2G spectrum scam.

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The party recalled that the PM had offered to appear before the PAC, adding he should appear before the JPC now.

Defending senior party leader Yashwant Sinha’s letter to the PM regarding this, BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said the Congress should refrain from trying to stonewall the probe.

“The BJP demands that the Prime Minister keep his word at the AICC plenary at Burari that he is ready to appear before the PAC. The JPC is looking into the accountability of the executive, particularly the political executive to the Parliament,” Sitharaman said. She said there were precedents when a minister had appeared before the JPC: “Manmohan Singh has himself appeared before a JPC in 1992.”

Pointing out that as former telecom minister A Raja had alleged that the PM and FM were “privy” to the decisions taken, Sitharaman said all three should appear before the panel. She added: “Moreover, Attorney General G Vahanvati saying that Raja has interpolated a sentence in the 2G file after his having cleared it raises several questions that need to be cleared for the truth to come out.”