BJP walks out of JPC meet

BJP leader Yashwant Sinha,who led the protest,accused Chacko of being biased and dictatorial. “All of us have come to the conclusion that there is no point in continuing to serve in the JPC because the manner in which the chairman is functioning,it is quite clear that the JPC is now not an instrument for uncovering the truth,” Sinha said.

He said members were not allowed to speak on finalising the list of witnesses to be called before the JPC. “This is reminiscent of the Emergency… He did not behave as an impartial chairman. He truly behaved like a spokesperson of the Congress,” Sinha said and claimed Chacko was acting on the directions of someone from outside.

He indicated that the BJP would quit the JPC,but said the final decision will be taken by the party leadership. The BJP members,he said,would make their position clear in public far more strongly than they could in a note of dissent to the JPC report.

Chacko struck back at the BJP charging it with an attempt to “throttle” and “kill” the JPC for political interests. “They stood isolated in the committee,” he said,referring to the fact that four of BJP members did not get support from any quarter. Chacko said that since he had already dealt with the issue,there was no need for discussing it at today’s meeting,particularly when RBI Governor D Subbarao,who was the finance secretary when the 2G spectrum was allotted in 2008,was waiting to be heard.

Subbarao told the panel he did not agree with the March 2011 finance ministry note that suggested Finance Minister P Chidambaram could have insisted on auctioning 2G spectrum. He said allocation of the spectrum had not caused loss to the exchequer,but even if did,it was only notional. He said there was no monetary loss in actual terms.