by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
Achchhe Din for Mallikarjun Kharge !
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Feb.24
A move is afoot to replace the current chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), P C Chacko. If sources within the Congress Party are to be believed, Chacko is unlikely to be given the fourth term. He is completing his third term on April 30 and there are reasons for Leader of the Congress Party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge to smile.
Though Chacko’s axing is being attributed to his remarks recently wherein he said as chairman of the PAC that the committee can summon Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his role in demonetization. Chacko had to beat a hasty retreat when BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Ajay Sancheti raised the issue at the PAC meeting saying that the statement was unwarranted and even illegal. The PAC has no right to summon the PM and the matter never came up before the committee either.
But the reasons for bringing in Mallikarjun Kharge in place of Chacko are political. Kharge is without a room in Parliament House though he is Leader of the Congress Party in Lok Sabha. The Modi Government decided not to bestow upon him a favour by giving him the status of the Leader of Opposition. Only a Leader of the Opposition is entitled to a room and staff. Kharge has been asking for a room inside the Parliament House to work effectively as the Leader of the Party. The Congress Party has only one room in the Parliament House which is occupied by Sonia Gandhi. But the PAC chairman he may have a room and stain Karnataka and giving Kharge another powerful committee, the Congress will send a message to the voters there.
The PAC chairman’s post goes to the main Opposition party. While Thomas has completed three consecutive terms as PAC chairman, there is no bar on the number of terms. BJP’s Murli Manohar Joshi was PAC chairman for five terms, although under different Lok Sabha.
