BJP to protest PAC chief’s Modi remark

NEW DELHI: The BJP is planning a “show of strength” to protest against Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee chairperson KV Thomas’ remarks about summoning Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain the note ban decision.

Thomas, a Congress MP, triggered a controversy two days ago when he said that the panel had powers to summon even the Prime Minister. The BJP has urged Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to intervene and ask Thomas to recall his remarks.

“If he takes any further step, we plan to march NDA MPs to Lok Sabha Speaker. We will not allow this to happen,” a source in the ruling alliance told HT.

The NDA MPs will oppose it at the January 13 meeting of the panel, arguing that the chairman does not enjoy powers to call the Prime Minister or even ministers to depose before him.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, a member of the PAC, wrote to the Speaker on Tuesday saying Thomas’ announcement was “wrong, unethical and against laid out parliamentary procedure”.

“We fail to understand how the PAC chairman could make such an announcement without holding any discussion with members of the committee,” he wrote to the Speaker.

Dubey cited rules to suggest that proceedings of the panel were secret and couldn’t be divulged. Also, he said rules did not allow such summons to be issued unless a report was finalised.

The PAC has planned a note ban discussion on January 20 and asked the RBI Governor and senior finance ministry officials to appear before it.