PM writes to PAC chairman, says ready to appear before panel

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has written to Public Accounts Committee expressing his willingness to appear before the panel which is going into the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Following up his announcement at the Congress plenary session, Singh made the offer in his letter to PAC Chairman Murli Manohar Joshi, sources said without elaborating.

Addressing the concluding day of the Congress plenary, Singh had said he would be "happy to appear" before the PAC though there was no precedent and he intended to write to Joshi in this regard.

"I wish to state categorically that I have nothing to hide from the public at large and as a proof of my bonafides I intend to write to the Chairman of the PAC that I shall be happy to appear before the PAC, if it chooses to ask me to do so," Singh had said.

Contending that the Opposition was "falsely propagating" that government was shying away from JPC to prevent the Prime Minister from appearing before it, Singh said he has "nothing to hide from the public".

Singh's letter to PAC comes on a day when the Comptroller and Auditor General, whose report on a presumed loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the exchequer in 2G spectrum allocation created a storm in Parliament, appeared before the PAC.

Rai appeared before the 22-member PAC, chaired by Joshi, at 11am in Parliament House.

The meeting is scheduled to go on through the day, with only a two-hour break.

The decision to ask Rai to appear before the powerful parliamentary committee was taken during its last meeting earlier this month. The Committee has already invited views and suggestions on the 2G spectrum allocation.

A Raja, who has been questioned by the CBI in connection with alleged irregularities in the spectrum allocation, was forced to resign on November 14 as Telecom minister.


Rea