Power of PAC

Why the ruling coalition is always so averse to the suggestion of a Joint Parliamentary Committee on important matters is not understood. However a compromise formula put forward by Pranab Mukherjee may serve the purpose of a JPC. Mukherjee suggests attaching an investigating agency to the Public Accounts Committee [PAC]. If the government is placing an investigative agency at its disposal, the PAC gets the much needed weapon to work with. As the PAC is headed by the opposition’s Murli Manohar Joshi, it should serve the purpose of the JPC with this additional authority and machinery at its disposal. The opposition should accept this proposal and get on with the mission to expose and eradicate corruption. This will be more constructive than obstructing the Parliament or coming down on streets. The government on its part should see that the PAC assisted by the investigating agency has the fullest power to investigate anything under the sun and question anyone who in its opinion is in anyway related to the matter under their scrutiny.