New Delhi: In what seems to indicate pressure on the high-profile Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, a senior BJP MP, literally batting for the government, has urged the panel’s chairman K.V. Thomas to postpone its proposed January 20 meeting with RBI governor Urjit Patel and top finance ministry officials. The committee is scheduled to discuss monetary policy and demonetisation. Interestingly it will be the RBI governor’s first meeting with the PAC after the demonetisation announcement by the Centre on November 8.
In a letter to Mr Thomas dated January 9, a copy of which is with this newspaper, Lok Sabha BJP MP from Godda Nishikant Dubey, citing ministry officials’ preoccupation with preparations for the Budget to be presented on February 1, requested Mr Thomas to reschedule the meeting to February 9, when Parliament will be on a break. Incidentally, the RBI governor had earlier skipped his appointment with the standing committee of finance last month, after it had summoned him to discuss the demonetisation issue.
Mr Dubey is a member of the PAC as well as the standing committee on finance.
The PAC looks into the finances of various departments of the Central government and the January 20 meet holds a lot of significance as it will be for the first time after the demonetisation that RBI governor Urjit Patel will appear before the committee. The panel is likely to ask him and senior finance ministry officials some pointed questions on the demonetisation issue and overall monetary policy.
In this context, a ruling party MP “requesting” the PAC chairman to postpone the meeting seems to be indicate the pressure being applied on the committee to delay a discussion on a matter like demonetisation that has shaken up the entire financial structure of the country.
It also raises eyebrows on how any member of a parliamentary panel can in his personal capacity place such a “request” before the chairman.
The BJP MP has written to Mr Thomas that “as a former Cabinet minister and senior MP, you well know that the General Budget is a very time-consuming exercise that takes the entire attention of the finance ministry... The officials concerned (summoned by the committee) need to pay their undivided attention to the formulation of the Budget and may not be able to fully give time for the PAC meeting. Therefore, I am requesting you to postpone the meeting and schedule it after February 9, after Parliament goes into its Budget session break”.
Interestingly, when asked to respond, Mr Thomas, a Congress MP from Kerala, denied having got any letter from Mr Dubey and claimed the RBI governor will be appearing before the PAC on January 20 as scheduled.
The letter by Mr Dubey goes on to highlight the friction within the panel on party lines, that was quite evident last week when its BJP-led members had reportedly forced the PAC chairman to clarify his earlier statement that the panel could summon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the issue of demonetisation if the need arises.
