BJP asks PAC chairman Murli Manohar Joshi to take up "unfinished agenda" over controversial 2G spectrum allocation report

NEW DELHI: The row within the Public Accounts Committee over re-circulation of the report on the 2G spectrum allocation is likely to deepen with BJP proposing that the "unfinished agenda" be taken up by the reconstituted panel.

BJP leader Prakash Javadekar is planning to make this suggestion to PAC chairman Murli Manohar Joshi, who had re-circulated the report to members on Saturday. In his letter, Javadekar is expected to propose that the committee examine who should be called as fresh witnesses so that the report can be discussed and "adopted."

Speaker Meira Kumar had returned the report on the ground that it was not adopted by the earlier PAC, whose term ended on April 30. BJP's stand on the report is at loggerheads with Congress', which has charged Joshi with playing politics.

In a letter to the members, Joshi had said he was sending them the draft report again after consulting constitutional experts, rules of procedures and precedents. While Congress dubs it as a "constitutionally dead" report, BJP is hopeful the battle is not lost, given the slight numerical tilt in favour of the Opposition.

Earlier, the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party members had backed Congress, giving UPA a majority. This time, Congress is one seat short with Jayanthi Natarajan becoming a minister and parties of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh unlikely to back Congress.

The report criticises the Prime Minister's Office and then finance minister P Chidambaram for failure to protect the interests of the exchequer.

BJP's stand is expected to be met with resistance from the ruling side, which had been arguing that PAC should wind up its work on the 2G spectrum allocation as the Joint Parliamentary Committee was already examining it.