The Public Accounts Committee met in New Delhi on Thursday with its chairman Murli Manohar Joshi saying the report on the 2G spectrum scam was on agenda and will be discussed on merit.
A Group of Ministers will take the decision in June.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh giving further momentum to the talk of an imminent cabinet reshuffle possible early next week.
NRI businessman Anshuman Mishra, who withdrew from the Rajya Sabha race from Jharkhand at the last moment, on Friday claimed to have introduced PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi to senior executives of 2G scam accused companies when the panel was probing the 2G spectrum case, a charge rubbished by the BJP veteran.
Insisting that the controversy over the finance ministry note on 2G spectrum issue with inferences against P Chidambaram is not over, Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has bowed to wishes of the "head of the family" and asked him to clarify where he disagreed with it.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Saturday charged the Centre with attacking constitutional institutions working in the interest of the people and said it was harmful for the nation.
Maran was instrumental in changing the spectrum pricing while he was the Telecom Minister.
Bharatiya Janata Party veterans like Murli Manohar Joshi, Kalyan Singh and V K Malhotra may be accommodated as governors as their names are doing the rounds for appointment in gubernatorial posts in key states like Karnataka, Maharashtra and Haryana.
The industry, however, has opposed any specific allocation for the purpose, saying CSR should be self monitored without any government supervision.
Taking exception to personal attack on him, a "hurt" Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said he may have "made mistakes" but he firmly repudiated charges of conniving with corruption and asked the Opposition to verify his assets.
Names of BJP veterans like L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi also do not figure in the list.
Corporate affairs minister Murli Deora has supported the recommendations of the Parliamentary standing committee to make spending under corporate social responsibility (CSR) mandatory under the proposed Companies Bill. Pending the Bill, the minister also announced a slew of measures to simplify procedures akin to the licence raj.
Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai on Wednesday rejected reports that there was pressure from Parliament's Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi to expedite audit work of 2G spectrum allocation and said no findings were ever shared with the PAC.
A fresh controversy broke out in the 2G case on Tuesday with the surfacing of a letter which suggested that Parliament's Public Accounts Committee chief Murli Manohar Joshi had called up a CAG official to press for expediting auditing work into spectrum allocation.
As Public Accounts Committee descended into chaos, the Congress on Thursday backed the "rejection" of the draft report on 2G scam by a majority of members of Parliament on the panel and held its Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi and Bharatiya Janata Party squarely responsible for the document containing "blatant falsehoods".
Charging Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi of having ''malafide intention'' of destabilising the government, the Congress and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam leaders of the panel on Wednesday demanded his resignation over the draft report on the 2G spectrum scam.
The Congress enjoyed a majority in the PAC when Natarajan was part of the panel. It is believed that it was her dissent vote that saw the report on the 2G Spectrum case prepared by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi being rejected.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi indicated that he will not be taking up the 2G spectrum scam in the Public Accounts Committee meeting to be held next week.
Congress General Secretary, Digvijay Singh said on Friday that Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari should learn about parliamentary affairs and institutions before making comments.
One of several jokes doing the rounds these days is about the launch of a new political party, called the Tihar Munnetra Kazhagam.
BJP sources indicated that swearing-in ceremony could take place on May 30.
Oil Minister S Jaipal Reddy on Monday rejected senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi's attack on Home Minister P Chidambaram on the issue of CAG indictment of his ministry for alleged favours to private firms, saying such attacks would harm decision making at higher levels.
In an interesting turn of events, the Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi summoned two senior editors of newsweeklies to depose before the PAC in connection to the 2G spectrum scam. Vinod Mehta and Manu Joseph, editors of Outlook and Open Magazine respectively were interrogated about the transcripts of the phone conversations that corporate lobbyist Niira Radia had with others, which were carried in their publications.
The seven-member grouping has seen two changes -- S Jaipal Reddy replacing Murli Deora after taking over as the Oil Ministry, while Kamal Nath has given away to the new Road Transport and Highways Minister C P Joshi.
The mood in the government seems to have hardened and they do not seem to be in a mood to budge on the issue. Prime Minister Mamhohan Singh indicated as much during his speech at a Youth Congress meet in the capital on Tuesday.
Report says SEZs had resulted in a revenue loss of Rs. 1,971.39 crore.
Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi on Saturday made a fresh attempt to make the panel take up his controversial report on the 2G scam that had questioned the role of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
Unfazed by the "rejection" of the draft Public Accounts Committee report by a "majority", Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Wednesday said that the Lok Sabha Speaker has no option but to accept the report on the 2G scam presented by him.
Joshi was again nominated by his party following which Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has reappointed him as chairman of PAC which is responsible for conducting the financial audit of various departments and ministries.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday charged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with orchestrating a vilification campaign against the Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi after the parliamentary panel had asked a PMO official and the Attorney General to appear before it for questioning in the 2G scam.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday attacked Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi saying his draft report on his role in 2G spectrum allocation was a "gross distortion" which "deliberately and mischievously" omitted his suggestions on the issue.
A day after a chaotic meeting of the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee, its Chairperson Murli Manohar Joshi along with National Democratic Alliance, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Biju Janata Dal and Left members are exploring the possibility of submitting the draft report on 2G scam to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar before its term expires on Ffriday.
The Congress and the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam on Thursday slammed the draft report released by Public Accounts Committee chairman Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and demanded that he should resign from his post. The meeting is expected to be a stormy one in view of the different stances taken by various political parties.Leaders of DMK and Congress addressed a joint press conference, where they questioned Joshi's decision to release the draft report to the media.
The Public Accounts Committee has, in a draft report on 2G scam, strongly indicted former Telecom minister A Raja and came down heavily on the Prime Minister's Office and the Cabinet Secretariat for not taking "corrective action" while not sparing even the prime minister for "some unfortunate omissions".
With the government putting off an increase in diesel prices, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora sought an increase in government subsidy to bail out the three oil marketing companies (OMCs). Deora met finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in Mumbai to seek an immediate release of `10,000 crore as interim subsidy to Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation.
The students are demanding the removal of vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar from his post.
In an embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party gernment in Madhya Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Wednesday decision of the state authorities to allot at throwaway prices land to a trust named after late party leader Kushabhau Thakre.
Etisalat DB Telecom chief executive officer Atul Jham was also questioned by the panel headed by senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi.
Even as the UPA is struggling for credibility and ways to fight corruption, the BJP is merely waiting in the wings hoping to earn votes by default. But that is not likely to happen, says Sheela Bhatt.