New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said he was ready to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and added that there was no need for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the 2G allocation scam.
"I sincerely believe that like Caesar's wife, the prime minister should be above suspicion. And for this reason, I am prepared to appear before the Public Accounts Committee even though there is no precedent to that effect," he said in his speech at the Congress' 83rd plenary.
Almost no work had been transacted in parliament's winter session after opposition refused to allow its functioning, insisting on a JPC probe into the 2G scam.
"We wanted to discuss all these issues (of corruption) in parliament, but one entire session got wasted due to opposition's obduracy," he said
Manmohan Singh said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was "falsely" giving the impression that the government was shying away from JPC because it had the powers to summon the prime minister, "thereby implying that I have something to hide".
"I wish to state categorically that I have nothing to hide from the public as large. As proof of bonafide, I intend writing to the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee that I will be happy to appear before PAC...," he said.