RBI Governor Urjit Patel to appear before PAC as scheduled on Jan 20: K V Thomas

NEW DELHI: PAC Chairman K V Thomas today said a meeting with Finance Ministry officials has been deferred to February 10 in view of Budget preparations but RBI Governor Urjit Patel will appear before it as per schedule on January 20 on the demonetisation issue.

Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) had asked Patel and Finance Ministry officials to appear before the committee on January 20.

"The meeting is scheduled for January 20 and RBI Governor Urjit Patel is coming as per information available with me. But the Finance Ministry officials will not be present on January 20 meeting as they have asked for extension till the Budget exercise gets over," Thomas told PTI.

His remarks came after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, who is also member of PAC, had written to Thomas for deferring the January 20 meeting.

When contacted, Dubey said he had requested the PAC chairman to call the ministry officials after February 10 as they were busy with preparations of the Union Budget which is to be presented on February 1.

"I had requested Thomas that kindly call the Finance Ministry officials after the Budget exercise got over. And as a former minister, he agreed with my view and it was decided to call these officials on February 10," he said.

A storm was kicked up by BJP members on Thomas' statement last week that PAC can call Prime Minister Narendra Modi to depose on the note ban issue, forcing the panel to issue a press release rejecting the Congress leader's contention.