2G scam: Sections of dissent notes on JPC report expunged

New Delhi: In a move that could trigger a fresh war of words between JPC chief PC Chacko and opposition members in the panel, certain portions of the dissent notes on the controversial report on 2G spectrum scam have been “expunged”. The dissent notes were received after members from BJP, BJD, CPI, CPM, Trinamool Congress, AIADMK and DMK voted against the report adopted by the committee by a majority vote on 27 September. [caption id=“attachment_1200791” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  PC Chacko. PTI[/caption] Chacko submitted the report along with the dissent notes to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar today. He will table the report in the Lok Sabha during its winter session which is likely to commence in the first week of December. “I was constrained to expunge certain unparliamentary language and inappropriate words which are away from facts,” Chacko told reporters after submitting the report. He said as Chairman of the committee, he has powers under rules laid down by the Speaker to remove phrases, expressions, sentences and words which are not in accordance with the temperate language and which cast aspersions on the committee. BJP had in its dissent note termed the report as “flawed from the first page, a bundle of contradictions, of half truths and untruths”. The BJP members in the JPC had also requested the Speaker to ensure that their dissent note is neither “mutilated” nor “edited” by Chacko. DMK, which had been insisting on calling former Telecom Minister A Raja as a witness before the panel, had dubbed it as “half-boiled”. Chacko said he has already informed the members about the particular portions in their dissent notes he has expunged. “I have written to members informing about the expunged portions. That it why the submission of the report was delayed by two days,” he said. PTI