The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has sent to the Telecom Ministry, a volley of questions including why views of the Finance Ministry, Law Ministry and even the Prime Minister were ignored when taking decisions on allocation of spectrum in 2008.
BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde has been appointed Chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), a post vacated by expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh.
The allocations followed two stages.
Queen Elizabeth II's household finances are at a "historic low" with just 1 million pounds left in reserve, even as the royal palaces were "crumbling" and in urgent need of repair.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Saturday said Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi had no right to submit the draft report on the 2G scam to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as it was 'rejected' by a majority of the committee's members.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari hit out at Public Accounts Committee chairman Dr Murli Manohar Joshi on Friday, for not taking the members of the committee in confidence before the scheduled meeting on Thursday, and for trying to push his report.
The Congress on Friday hit out at the Election Commission after it rejected allegations over irregularities in the Haryana assembly polls, saying if the poll panel's goal is to 'strip itself of the last vestiges of neutrality', then it is doing a 'remarkable job' at creating that impression.
Though the 2G scam may be revolving around A Raja, Parliament's Public Accounts Committee chief M M Joshi has rejected demands from some members for calling the former telecom minister who is in jail. Joshi has argued that calling Raja would involve long processes as he in judicial custody and that there are enough records and witness statements to "draw conclusions".
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.
Attorney General Goolam Vahanvati and Law Secretary D R Meena have been called by Parliament's Public Accounts Committee to give evidence in its probe into the 2G spectrum allocation scam.The committee, which has also called Cabinet Secretary K M Chandrasekhar, Principal Secretary in Prime Minister's Office T K A Nair and Central Bureau of Investigation Director A P Singh, have asked all of them to depose before it on April 15-16.
Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai has asked Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi for permission to react to Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal\\'s open attack on him over the 2G report, according to sources.
The Public Accounts Committee of Goa assembly has recommended an enquiry by Central Bureau of Investigation or the lokayukta against all those indicted by it in the illegal mining cases.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said Murli Manohar Joshi will continue as chairman of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee for 2011-12, currently looking into anomalies in the 2G spectrum scam, as he is doing a "good job".
Amid furore over coal blocks allocation, the government will place its views before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee by September 14 on the observations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General. "The coal ministry will submit its comments to the PAC on CAG's observations on coal blocks allocations by September 14," said a top coal ministry official.
Former Union minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Murli Manohar Joshi is likely to become the next chairman of the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee while Yashwant Sinha will replace him as head of the Standing Committee on Finance, BJP sources said.
The chiefs of Army, Navy and Air Force have been called on January 12 by the PAC for a hearing on the committee on Canteen Stores Department based on the audit report, which has pointed out irregularities in the supply chain management of rations in the Army.
Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai on Monday briefed the Public Accounts Committee about his report in the 2G spectrum allocation. His report on a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore in 2G spectrum allocation had created a storm in Parliament and outside. The PAC, headed by Bharatiya Janata Party veteran leader Murli Manohar Joshi, is examining the controversial allocation of 2G radio waves and Rai apprised the committee of how the audit looked into the whole issue.
Was the prime minister's offer to appear before the Public Accounts Committee 'precedent' an afterthought? Looks like it, if one were to go carefully through the press handout being distributed at the media centre at the Congress plenary in New Delhi.
Against the backdrop of a CBI prosecutor in 2G case allegedly being caught on tape sharing legal strategy with an accused, members of a Parliamentary panel on Wednesday raised questions on the credibility of the investigation agency and its probe in the case.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sushma Swaraj on Monday met expelled party veteran Jaswant Singh and is understood to have demanded that he step down from the post of chairperson of the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee.
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Friday sought to bring the curtain down on the turf war between the Public Accounts Committee and the Joint Parliamentary Committee, asking the two bodies to work in close cooperation and harmony with each other.
Corporate lobbyist Nira Radia appeared in no mood to co-operate with the Public Accounts Committee when she appeared before them for questioning on the 2G scam on Monday morning as her answers were 'evasive' and 'clever,' preferring to use the non-descript phrase, "I do not remember" in reply to most of the questions.
Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, told the media that lobbyist Niira Radia was evasive when she was quizzed in connection with the 2G spectrum scam. Her attitude and the answers she gave to the 12-member committee during her 2-hour questioning seems to have angered Joshi.
Chairman of Public Accounts Committee Murli Manohar Joshi on Tuesday said that there was no conflict or clash between the Joint Parliamentary Committee and the panel headed by him and both can function within their own domain to probe irregularities in 2G spectrum allocation. He said that the JPC was supposed to work under specific terms of reference and conditions and did not have the right to summon the prime minister or any minister but PAC was a constitutional body.
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.
In a move that spells further trouble for mining industry in Goa, the Manohar Parrikar government has decided not to allow mining activity until findings of the Public Accounts Committee and Justice M B Shah Commission on illegalities are dealt with in accordance with law.
CAG report commands respect and cannot be brushed aside but it cannot be the final word on an issue, the Supreme Court said today while noting that the auditor's findings cannot be gospel truth as it is subject to scrutiny by Parliament.
Tax experts said many would use this to bring black money and cash stashed in tax havens into the country.
Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of spreading anarchy in the country on the coal block allocation issue, Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal on Sunday said no one can force Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to resign till he enjoys the support of people.
A draft report of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has expressed shock that Department of Telecommunication has no monitoring mechanism to verify authenticity of the self-certification of the operators, deprecating "such a mindless arrangement made by the DoT to check the radiation level."
Politics over its critical reports on scams echoed in the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Comptroller and Auditor General on Wednesday when Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Public Accounts Committee Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi praised Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee for defending both the CAG and the PAC when they came under attack.
The PAC's second draft report again targets Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then Finance Minister P Chidambaram. However, Chidambaram gets more brickbats while Dr Singh, the report says, was 'misled' by then Telecom Minister A Raja. Our Correspondent reports from New Delhi.
The 2G controversy rocked Parliament's Public Accounts Committee meeting in New Delhi on Monday with opposition parties demanding that former director general (Audit) R P Singh be summoned and asked why he differs with the Comptroller and Auditor General on the quantum of loss. With differences persisting, the meeting was adjourned. The meeting scheduled for Tuesday has also been postponed reportedly as Chhath festival falls on that day.
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.
Goa Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday told the state legislative assembly that it can be 'inferred' that Chief Minister Digambar Kamat might have been involved in illegal mining activities.
Pakistan's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to learn financial management from the Board of Cricket for Control in India.
Maran was instrumental in changing the spectrum pricing while he was the Telecom Minister.
The government on Thursday unleashed an attack on Murli Manohar Joshi questioning his credibility, saying he was using the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee as a comeback vehicle to revive his "sagging" political fortunes.
Bharatiya Janata Party President Nitin Gadkari said on Thursday night the ruckus at the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee on the 2G spectrum scam represented a "black day" for the country's democracy and alleged that whatever happened there was done at the "direction" of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
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".
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