Stormy PAC meet sees Joshi 'replaced' by Soz, report rejected

Unruly scenes were witnessed at the public accounts committee (PAC) meeting on the 2G scam today, forcing its chairman, the BJP's Murli Manohar Joshi to storm out of the meet. Congress members and their backers then 'elected' their own nominee as head of the panel and rejected the report.

The PAC, an important body of the Indian parliament (and usually headed by an opposition member of parliament), was to have presented its final report on the scam today, two days before it winds up and is replaced by a new committee.

However, a day before the finalisation of the report, parts of it were leaked to the media, revealing that the PAC had indicted the United Progressive Alliance government (including the prime minister's office and former finance minister – and now home minister – P. Chidambaram), for 'multiple systemic failure,' which had helped A. Raja, the former disgraced telecom minister, now in jail, of depriving the exchequer of billions of rupees.

Furious Congress leaders had accused Joshi of trying to destabilise the government and of having malafide intentions, and vowed to dislodge him (See: PAC split on 2G scam report).

The Congress has seven members in the 21-member PAC and the DMK two. The BJP has four, and its allies, the Janata Dal (U) and the Shiv Sena, one each. Two members of the AIADMK were backing the DMK, along with the Biju Janata Dal and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) members, making for a total of 10. However, the Congress got support from the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party members, taking its total strength to 11.

The UPA members and its supporters attacked the report and tried to rebut it point by point. They also accused Joshi of being undemocratic, since he had not circulated the draft of the report to the other members, and called for his resignation.