Can't remove Chacko, Meira tells opposition

New Delhi (PTI): Expressing 'anguish' over the raging controversy in the JPC probing the 2G scam, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Thursday rejected the Opposition demand for the removal of JPC Chairman P C Chacko and suggested a resolution of the logjam through 'majority of votes.'

Kumar also turned down the plea of some Congress members that BJP leaders Yashwant Sinha, Jaswant Singh and Ravi Shankar Prasad, should be barred from attending proceedings of the panel as they were instrumental in the decision-making process related to telecom between 1998 and 2004.

Noting that the faith reposed by Parliament is betrayed by trading allegations against each other, the Speaker said "It is, therefore, necessary for the Chairman and the members to sink their differences and present a report as mandated by Parliament."

The Speaker pointed out that in any case, Rule 261 provides that all questions and sittings of a committee shall be determined by a "majority of votes" of the members present and voting. "All contentious issues can, therefore, be resolved by the Committee having recourse to this Rule," she said.

Fifteen members from Opposition parties including from former UPA allies DMK and Trinamool Congress, had earlier written separate letters to the Speaker contending that they have "no confidence" in the JPC Chairman and had appealed to her to immediately replace him with another member of the panel on allocation and pricing of telecom licences and spectrum.

Countering the allegations, the JPC members belonging to Congress had also written to the Speaker refuting the charges levelled by the Opposition members. Six Congress members in the 30-member panel including E M S Natchiappan, had on April 25 written to the Speaker that Sinha, Singh and Prasad were instrumental in decision-making process related to telecom policy and hence, it would not be fair to allow them to sit on judgement on their own decisions.

The Speaker said, "It is a different matter if the Chairman himself resigns from the Chairmanship." Responding to the Congress members'demand for remvoal of the three BJP leaders from the panel, the Speaker referred to a 2011 ruling by her on the issue of conflict of interest.

The Speaker noted that when Jaswant Singh was removed from the BJP, he continued to be the Chairman of the PAC despite BJP asking her to remove him from the post. Kumar said the membership of the Council of Ministers during the earlier period would not constitute any personal, pecuniary or direct interest unless such members have some other personal, pecuniary or direct interest referred to in direction 52-A.

"Hence these members are not barred from taking part in the proceedings of the Committee," the Speaker contended. "I urge upon the Chairman and the members of the JPC to work out an agreeable solution to end the current impasse and produce a report after adopting the same according to rules, place it before Parliament," she added.