BJP thwarts attempts for PAC review of PM CARES fund and COVID response

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which scrutinises key reports by the auditor general, thwarted Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s attempt to select the PM Cares Fund for examination.

Members of the PAC, in which BJP enjoys majority and is led by senior party leader Bhupender Yadav, said its amount was not sanctioned by the parliament and therefore it cannot be taken up by the committee.

MPs from BJD and JD(U) also supported the BJP on the issue.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, chairman of the committee, who is also the leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha, appealed to members to think of the nation and act with their conscience and find a consensus on the important subject.

However, BJP members came in full strength with a clear directive to the meeting of the panel to stall Chowdhury's proposal of examining the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis as well, reported NDTV.

According to a report in NDTV, some opposition leaders claimed that the reason for denying the scrutiny of the COVID-19 pandemic and the government's response is because the BJP is afraid of a closer look into the PM CARES fund which is not under the audit of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India or CAG.

The PAC, however, agreed to review the construction of border roads at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and procurement of high-altitude clothing for the armed forces in the wake of the recent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.