PM tells PAC he is ready for grilling; CAG quizzed

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday wrote to Public Accounts Committee chairman Murli Manohar Joshi saying that he is ready to appear before the panel in connection with the 2G spectrum issue.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), Vinod Rai, whose report alleging a notional loss of Rs1.76 lakh crore due to misallocation of 2G spectrum led to the resignation of former telecom minister A Raja appeared before the PAC.

The PAC, a cross-party parliamentary panel head by the BJP's Joshi, will continue with its examination of the controversial allocation of 2G radio waves and Rai is likely to put forth his point-of-view before the panel. The decision to ask the CAG to appear was taken during the panel's last meeting.

Rai appeared before the 22-member PAC at 11 am in Parliament House. The meeting is scheduled to go on through the day, with only a two-hour break.

In its last meeting, former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura is understood to have told the panel that all decisions related to allocation were taken by Raja.

Earlier, Prime Minister Singh had told the Congress plenary session on its concluding day that he would be "happy to appear" before the PAC though there was no precedent, and he intended to write to Joshi in this regard.

"I wish to state categorically that I have nothing to hide from the public at large and as a proof of my bona fides I intend to write to the Chairman of the PAC that I shall be happy to appear before the PAC, if it chooses to ask me to do so," Singh had said.

Contending that the opposition was "falsely propagating" that government was shying away from JPC to obviate the prime minister having to appear before it, Singh said he has "nothing to hide from the public".