Yashwant letter to PM political stunt: Chacko

A day after senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to demand that he appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee

A day after senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to demand that he appear before the Joint Parliamentary Committee,examining the pricing and allocation of the spectrum,a full-scale war of words erupted between the Congress and the BJP on Tuesday.

P C Chacko,Congress MP from Kerala who heads the JPC,termed Sinhas letter a political stunt. It is against the procedure, Chacko said,adding how could Sinha,merely a JPC member,write to the Prime Minister asking him to depose before the panel.

It is for the committee to take a decision,the JPC chief said,insisting that Sinhas letter had no relevance. He said after completing deposition by witnesses,the members of the committee had authorised him to write the report. Once the report is ready,we will meet to discuss it, he added.

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Sinha,citing claims made by former telecom minister A Raja,had called upon the Prime Minister to appear before the JPC to clear his name.

Raja had maintained that the Prime Minister was in the loop vis-a-vis the decisions taken with regard to the allocation of 2G spectrum in 2008.

On Tuesday,Sinha described the JPC working as scandalous and complained that it had not met for over two months.

Backing Sinhas demand,BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said both the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister should appear before the JPC. Raja should also be allowed to appear before the JPC, she added.

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I&B Minister Manish Tewari,a former JPC member,said it would have been appropriate had Sinha raised his demand within the confines of the JPC. He said Sinhas demand that the Prime Minister depose before the JPC was outlandish.