Standing firmly behind Public Accounts Committee Chairperson Murli Manohar Joshi against the onslaught by Congress and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam members, the Bharatiyas Janata Party on Thursday alleged that these were "calculated, deliberate and sponsored" attacks by the ruling coalition to stall the investigation into 2G scam.
"The BJP strongly condemns the attacks on the PAC chairperson. These are calculated, deliberate, concerted and sponsored attacks," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Joshi had faced stiff opposition from Congress and DMK members in the PAC meeting on Thursday, when they alleged that he was trying to destabilise the government. They opposed the draft report and said it had been outsourced.
Supporting its senior leader and former president against these barbs, the BJP alleged that when the probe reached the top levels of power such as the Prime Minister's Office, and the finance minister, this "sponsored campaign" started.
"There is a design behind this attack," Prasad said, adding that the attempt was to forestall the report. "Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had earlier said Joshi is a seasoned politician and a senior parliamentarian. He had also offered to appear before the PAC.
The Congress members had also praised the PAC earlier," Prasad said. He recalled that during the April 4 meeting of the PAC, the panel had unanimously decided that it should submit its report on 2G spectrum issue by April 30.
The BJP objected to the manner in which some Congress members of PAC commented in the press against Joshi. "We want to ask the Congress a question that when the prime minister had praised Joshi how has he now been painted as a villian?" Prasad said.
The main opposition also charged the United Progressive Alliance government with attacking government institutions one by one. "First Kapil Sibal attacked the CAG, then the others also attacked him. Then came the appointment of a person (with a tainted record) as Central Vigilance COmmissioner. Now a Parliamentary committee is being attacked," Prasad said.
The Rajya Sabha member of Parliament alleged that Parliamentary Affairs minister P K Bansal had visited some PAC members from other parties to influence them. "The government does not want the PAC report.
It had no objection when industrialists or editors were called. The whole hungama started when officials from the PMO and the Attorney General were called," Prasad alleged. "Regardless of repeated rebuffs from the media and the judiciary, the government has shown dogged determination to stall a fair investigation (into 2G scam)," Prasad said.
