Sinha writes to PM, asks him to appear before JPC

Major opposition parties including Bharatiya Janata Party want draft report rejected

A day before the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) is set to meet to discuss the draft report on 2G spectrum allocation scam, former finance minister Yashwant Sinha has written a letter asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to appear before the parliamentary committee.

This is the third letter from Sinha to Prime Minister in little over three weeks.

Although Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has categorically said that he will not appear before the JPC and the parliamentary committee is also divided on the issue, Sinha has argued in the letter that since former telecom minister A Raja has accused PM of being in the know of all the decisions taken by him, Prime Minister must come before the JPC to clear his stand.

The 30-member JPC is absolutely divided on the issue of calling Prime Minister because members of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) does not want Prime Minister to be called by the parliamentary committee while opposition members of BJP, Left parties, AIADMK and BJD are all demanding Prime Minister’s presence before the committee.

“You promptly rejected my suggestion to appear before JPC. JPC is facing risk of complete stalemate if not total destruction. Former telecom minister A Raja has sent a letter to JPC chairman P C Chacko in which he has said that you were fully aware of all the decisions taken by him. Is it not time Prime Minister that you speak on these issues by appearing before the JPC? Your silence will confirm the worst fear that you were fully involved in the 2G scam,” said Yashwant Sinha, member of JPC, in his letter to the Prime Minister.

Although Prime Minister has replied to the first letter by Sinha, there has been no reply on the remaining two letters.

Out of the 30 members of the JPC, opposition has support of 15 members while the government also has support of 15 members. BJP, Left party leaders along with other opposition members are making efforts to get the draft report rejected in the meeting.  

It is expected that the scheduled meeting of JPC on April 25 will be stormy because the draft report prepared by Chacko was leaked to the media and BJP has decided to demand a privilege motion against the senior Congress party leader. Interestingly, DMK, former UPA ally, has also demanded that Chacko should resign as the chairperson of JPC because of the leak of the report.

“Prime Minister had said that he has nothing to hide on the 2G spectrum allocation scam but his deafening silence on the allegations made by a former cabinet colleague completely disproves of the stand taken by Prime Minister. Former telecom minister A Raja has completely dismissed the theory in the draft report that he misled you,” Sinha further said in the letter.