While the BJP is sticking to its demand that Jaswant Singh be removed as Public Accounts Committee chairman, there are indications that a section of NDA MPs may attend the next PAC meeting. There are seven MPs from the Opposition alliance in the 22-member committee, out of whom the JD(U)’s N K Singh had attended the first PAC meeting on September 7.

Even a BJP nominee in PAC, Shanta Kumar, seemed to admit that this was inevitable. “The boycott cannot go on for the entire year as the committee’s work has to go on,” he said. The PAC chairman gets a one-year term.

Shiv Sena Lok Sabha MP Anant Geete told The Indian Express that his party’s Anandrao Adsul “would take part”. Adsul had stayed away from the first PAC meeting.

NDA constituent and Swatantra Bharat Paksh leader Sharad Joshi, who had similarly boycotted the September 7 meeting, will attend the next one “provided I’m not held up by the forthcoming Maharashtra election”.

Two BJP members on PAC, Yashwant Sinha and Gopinath Munde, however, refused to give any direct answer when asked if they would attend the next PAC meeting and if the boycott would continue for the entire one-year period (in case Jaswant lasted a full term).

Several non-BJP, non-Congress members of the PAC have stoutly defended Jaswant’s right to continue in the post, and linked the BJP demand to “its internal politics”.

Said Samajwadi Party MP Reoti Raman Singh: “Did the BJP expel Arun Shourie? Why did it then expel Jaswant Singh? He should continue for a full one year.” The BSP's Bali Ram said that “there were two views in the BJP on whether to re-admit Jaswant, but it depends on him if he wants to continue as the PAC chairman”.

... contd.