JPC summons Finance Secretary to explain why 2G note was not submitted to it

As the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on telecom policies met this morning,several members questioned the non-submission of the Finance Ministry note which suggested Chidambaram – when he was the Finance Minister in 2008 – could have prevented the 2G scam if he had insisted on the auction of spectrum.

Sitaram Yechury (CPM) is understood to have dubbed the non-submission of the note by the Finance Ministry as a “serious act” if it was a lapse on their part.

He went a step further and termed it as a “breach of privilege” if the note was withheld deliberately by the Finance Ministry when it was asked by the JPC to submit to it all documents related to the 2G spectrum allocation.

S S Ahluwalia of the BJP demanded that the meeting be adjourned till the Finance Secretary appeared before the Committee to explain the position. Gurudas Dasgupta (CPI) is also learnt to have expressed similar sentiments.

After a three-hour debate on the matter,the JPC called Nripendra Mishra,who was Telecom Secretary between February 2004 and March 2005,for recording evidence but soon adjourned for the day.

It was also decided to cancel the sitting tomorrow when former Telecom Secretary Brijesh Kumar was to appear and the CBI was to update the JPC on the progress in investigation into the 2G case.

JPC Chairman P C Chacko is understood to have expressed displeasure of the Committee on the Finance Ministry’s actions and decided to call the Finance Secretary on October 13.

After the controversial 2G note came into public domain through an RTI application,Chacko had written to the Finance Ministry to provide it to the panel.

Subsequently,the Ministry had submitted 50 copies of the note written by Deputy Director P G S Rao to Vini Mahajan,Joint Secretary in the PMO dated March 25,2011.

The note was circulated among JPC members yesterday but they were unhappy that it was given to them only after it had become public,sources said.

Besides Gujral,former Telecom Secretaries Mishra and Brijesh Kumar have been asked to appear before the JPC on October 13. The CBI is expected to update the JPC on the progress in 2G probe the next day.