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By Our New Delhi Bureau
The "inability" of the Public Accounts Committee to submit a report on `Operation Vijay' in the face of "refusal" by the Defence Ministry to let it have a copy of the report of the Central Vigilance Commission related to purchases during and immediately after the Kargil war triggered the stand-off between the Opposition and ruling parties. Charges and counter-charges were traded freely in the Lok Sabha — the issue of breach of parliamentary privilege was raised by both sides — and, after several short adjournments, the Speaker, Manohar Joshi, adjourned the House for the day with no business transacted. Trouble began as soon as the House met with the Opposition demanding that its adjournment notices be taken up. Despite attempts by the Speaker to bring some order, the shouting and counter-shouting by the Opposition and Treasury benches and their members rushing to the well of the House finally forced the adjournment for the day.
`Breach of privilege'
The Opposition demanded the resignation of the Defence Minister, George Fernandes, who is already the subject of a "boycott" by it on the Tehelka issue. Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi and Jaipal Reddy (Congress) said the PAC had "unanimously come to the conclusion that the Defence Minister was guilty of breach of privilege". The CVC report had been given to a retired journalist, who had attacked the MPs and the Comptroller and Auditor-General, but it was denied to the PAC, resulting in a "constitutional deadlock", they said. Somnath Chatterjee (CPI-M) charged the Government with trying to "cover up monumental corruption" in defence purchases by "obstructing" the functioning of the PAC. He demanded that the Prime Minister come to the House and explain the situation.The Treasury benches made a determined counter-attack, charging that the PAC report was "leaked" to the media and thus a breach of privilege had been committed. The chief whip of the Bharatiya Janata Party, V.K. Malhotra, said that the majority of the PAC members felt that the PAC report was "false and wrong".
Blackmail, says BJP
Later, outside the House, the BJP described the Opposition parties' behaviour as "irresponsible" and charged them with resorting to "blackmail" by suggesting that "either the Government should agree to their demands or the House will not be allowed to run". The BJP emphasised that "there was no CVC report on defence purchases related to the Kargil war", and, therefore, the question of the CVC report not being made available to the PAC did not arise. Mr. Malhotra and Kirit Somaiya, BJP MP, who is a PAC member, said the CVC report related to purchases from 1989 till before the Kargil war. Mr. Malhotra said that a privilege motion had been moved against the PAC chairman, Buta Singh.
Three-point demand
The Opposition parties made a three-point demand: a full discussion on the situation arising out of the PAC report with a reply by the Prime Minister, the placing of all records of the PAC meetings before the House to expose the truth and making available the CVC report to the PAC. Briefing correspondents after a meeting of the Opposition leaders called by Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Jaipal Reddy said the demands had been communicated to the Government through the Speaker. Mr. Reddy dismissed the BJP stand that there was no CVC report related to Kargil war purchases saying that the Defence Ministry officials appearing before the PAC had not denied its existence. The final CVC report covering all defence contracts worth more than Rs. 75 crores since 1989 was submitted to the Defence Ministry on 31 March, 2001, but the BJP maintained that the Kargil war period was not covered.
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