The prospects of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) draft report on the 2G scam being adopted dimmed further, with 15 Opposition MPs on the panel "rejecting" the report that gives Prime Minister Manmohan Singh a clean chit.
The same set of MPs, who wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar expressing lack of confidence in JPC chairperson P C Chacko, submitted letters to the committee secretariat, choosing not to address the Congress MP.
The Speaker is yet to take a view on the demand, but the Opposition’s latest move will make it difficult for Chacko to seek the draft’s adoption, heightening the possibility of the document remaining unofficial or part of unfinished agenda.
Congress’s fears centre on dealing with an evenly split committee where Chacko’s casting vote will have to be utilized to ensure the draft’s adoption. To do so, Congress is critically dependent on Samajwadi Party’s vote.
Although Congress managers are sure SP will not switch to the opposition, the exercise is fraught with risks.
In any case, the draft cannot be adopted amidst a din as its main conclusions must be read in the committee and approved.
As the meeting of the committee, whenever it is convened, is likely to begin with the Opposition asking Chacko to step aside, proceedings are unlikely to be orderly.