A key parliamentary panel failed to adopt two reports at its meeting on Thursday due to a UPA versus NDA fight over fixation of responsibility. Sources said that BJP member Nishikant Dubey lodged a strong protest at the Public Accounts Committee meeting to draft reports of the panel “slamming ministries of External Affairs, Defence, Home and Health” of the current dispensation, and demanded a “rewriting” of the reports. The draft reports, on Role and Functioning of Indian Coast Guard and Procurement of Allopathic Drugs in the Central Government Health Scheme, were placed at the meeting for consideration and adoption by PAC chairman K V Thomas of the Congress. Dubey had given a dissent note on Wednesday, expressing his disagreement with the entire content of both the reports. When the PAC met on Thursday, BJP members backed Dubey’s objections. Sources said that one of the panel members suggested that Dubey give his objections in writing. Usually, when a PAC member disagrees with a draft report, he or she registers his specific objections. In this case, Dubey said he did not agree with the reports at all. Dubey told The Indian Express Wednesday that the reports slammed the NDA government for “lapses” which were related to a period when the UPA was in power. While the PAC draft report on the Coast Guard issue said the committee was “dismayed” to note that although approval was given in-principle in 2012 to set up an Indian Coast Guard academy in Kerala that same year, it had seen “minimum progress”. Watch Video: What's making news On the allopathic drug issue, the draft report said, “The committee (is) perturbed to note that the ministry has furnished an evasive reply, which merely states that the views of the committee are noted. Keeping in view the glaring lapses in procurement and distribution of drugs resulting in huge infructious and avoidable expenditure, the committee deplores the skewed approach of the ministry.” The disagreement between Dubey and Thomas follows other similar incidents between them. Their differences had reached a flashpoint during the constitution of a sub-committee on defence, which was supposed to examine a CAG report on AgustaWestland along with other defence deals. The NDA has a majority in the PAC. However, as Thomas told The Indian Express, “In PAC, no report can be submitted without a consensus. It’s not a question of majority hence.”
