Public Accounts Committee refutes own chairman, says can't summon PM Modi over demonetisation

New Delhi: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Friday refuted the statement given by its own committee Chairperson K.V. Thomas, over summoning Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the parliamentary panel over the issue of demonetisation. The PAC on Friday said that as per rule no. 99 of the committee, the Prime Minister and other ministers cannot be called before the panel without any evidences or consultation in connection with examination of estimates or accounts. According to sources, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in the committee objected the statement made by the Chairman of the PAC outside the panel and raised the issue over the same. Earlier, after calling RBI Governor Urjit Patel and top Finance Ministry secretaries to appear before them on the demonetisation issue, PAC Chairman emphasised that the panel has the power to summon even Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the same. “It is the committee which takes decisions on such matters. Decisions in this regard will be taken only after the January 20 meeting of the PAC. We have powers to summon anyone… Even the Prime Minister and the ministers… that question will come later,” Thomas told reporters in Kerala.