Former PM Manmohan Singh gets clean chit on Commonwealth Games wrongdoing

There is nothing that Manmohan Singh or the PMO has done out of the way, says Parliamentary panel

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament has virtually absolved former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the then PMO of any wrongdoing in the New Delhi Commonwealth Games.

PAC Chairman K.V. Thomas on Tuesday said the Committee has found "nothing that the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh or the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) did out of the way".

The PAC is set to present its report to Parliament on Wednesday.

"You will get the entire report tomorrow. One important point is that there is nothing against the then Prime Minister in it... Everything is black and white," Thomas told reporters outside the House.

"There was a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, decisions were taken, and when the minutes (of the meeting) came, the then Sports Ministry said the spirit of the decisions was not carried in the minutes," Thomas said.

"There is nothing that Manmohan Singh or the PMO has done out of the way," he added.

He said there was unanimity on the findings and conclusions of the report, and pointed out that in the 24-member PAC, only four members were from the Congress party while the BJP has 12 members.

On the delay in presenting the report on the Commonwealth Games, Thomas said it was due to the large number of reports that the PAC has to go through.

In the last three years, the PAC under Thomas has presented 73 reports so far and the 74th report is slated to be tabled on Wednesday.

He said the PAC report on the 2G spectrum sale will be tabled in Parliament before April 31, which is the last working day of the current Committee.