New Delhi, July 24 : Largely owing to his ‘activism’ over Bofors scandal of 1980s, the Biju Janata Dal MP Bhartruhari Mahtab is all set to miss chairmanship to a key sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament for the year 2018-19.
According to sources, the PAC sub-committee, which looked “into the non-compliance” of certain
aspects of a 1986 Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report on the Bofors Howitzer gun deal, will now be headed by a “softer personality”.
The sub committee chairman and members are set up by the PAC chairman and has certain discretionary powers. On the issue of Mr Mahtab’s continuation as the panel head, apparently the incumbent PAC chairman Mallikarjun Kharge has disapproved the ‘functioning style’ of the previous sub-panel – headed by Mr Mahtab and which also had BJP lawmaker from Jharkhand Nishikant Dubey as a member.
In fact, last few weeks there have been ‘exchange of letters’ and ‘words’ as Mr Mahtab has reportedly “rejected an alternative offer” from Mr Kharge to head another sub committee.
“All these are happening due to ill-advised move more than the ignorance…. We need not call it deliberate. But how could a new panel be set up just to cater to issues related to ‘excess expenditures’ by governments in last two years. The proposed new sub committee will at best meet once a year and hence the offer was rejected by Biju Janata Dal,” a key source told UNI.
The sub-panel of the PAC headed by Biju Janata Dal floor leader Mr Mahtab during last two years has taken “a critical stance” on how the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had adopted a rather delay tactics since 2005 especially on whether the probe agency should challenge the Delhi High Court order of 2005.
The High Court had ruled ‘closure’ of Bofors matter in 2005 but in 2017 after the panel had taken note of “certain developments” related to the case and the summoning of the CBI chief Alok Verma had helped bring out the “lapses” and “dilly-dally” strategies adopted by the CBI.
In 2017, the CBI had told Public Accounts Committee (PAC) sub-committee that it has informed the Supreme Court of its willingness to continue a probe on Bofors.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi had in July 2017 expressed ‘displeasure’ on how the high-voltage
controversial Bofors gun deal scandal returned to the political discourse yet again, even as a section of Congress leaders had blamed BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for blowing it up.
“It may not be a case of furious anguish, but Soniaji was unhappy when the Bofors gun deal issue figured in the Parliamentary debate,” a party leader has said in July 2017.
By convention the 22-member PAC is headed by an opposition leader in Lok Sabha as Chairman and
the sub-committee to look into ‘non compliance’ of CAG report was set up with Mr Mahtab as chairman when K V Thomas, Congress MP from Kerala, was the chairman of PAC.
Both Sonia Gandhi and also Rahul Gandhi were “unhappy” that the Bofors issue came into focus
yet again after the sub-committee of the Public Accounts Committee suggested that the case of irregularities or alleged kickback in purchase of Bofors guns could be reopened. Mr Mahtab and others thought there were many “loopholes” in the investigation in past.
Congress sources point out that subsequently Mr Thomas was replaced by Mr Kharge – who is said to enjoy good working rapport with both Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi- as the PAC chairman.
In intra-Congress politics, Mr Thomas has virtually fallen from grace in last six months and Mr Kharge’s stakes have gone up.
Recently, Congress president Rahul Gandhi made Kharge also the general secretary in-charge of Maharashtra replacing Mohan Prakash.
Even another fellow Kerala MP K C Venugopal was made in charge of Karnataka but Mr Thomas has not figured in any key assignments for Congress.
Meanwhile, for the next year’s PAC sub- committees, Mr Kharge seemed to have decided to drop the number of the sub panels as well.
“Earlier, we had eight sub panels to examine various issues and departments, now we will have only four,” a BJP source said.
Sources also clarified that instead of Mr Mahtab as the chairman for sub committee for ‘non compliance of CAG report’, the new panel head could be “a softer personality”.
“This time the role may go to AIADMK member Ponnusamy Venugopal,” the source said.
UNI
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