The joint parliamentary committee (JPC) chairman PC Chacko is believed to have circulated the list of witnesses to be summoned before the committee probing 2G scam. The list excludes the name of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The previous meeting of the committee witnessed uproarious scenes after the opposition members had demanded that the Prime Minister along with bureaucrats and other political leaders be called as witness. The Congress members had objected to this.

The Congress member Manish Tiwari in June 19 meeting had responded to opposition’s list of witnesses by saying that the panel should also summon the witnesses from the NDA rule which included officials in PMO like Brajesh Mishra and NK Singh. There was also a demand by the Congress members to include former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Sushma Swaraj and Jagmohan. The committee had authorized Chacko to draw up the list of the witnesses to be summoned.

But the meeting on Tuesday saw Congress and the BJP members wrangle over the name of the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee which appeared in the list of witnesses circulated Chacko. Others whose names figured in the list were former finance minister P Chidambaram, former telecom ministers A Raja and Dayanidhi Maran, Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj and others.

The parliamentary panel has decided to call corporate players and the political executive involved in the decision making process.

Sources said BJP member Jaswant Singh objected to inclusion of Vajpayee's name and pointed out that he had no role and his health would never permit his appearance before JPC.

But following the uproar the list was withdrawn and copies were taken away from everybody. Sources said it was then decided that Chacko would speak to all members, take suggestions on the list of witnesses and then draw up a final list before the next meeting on July 10.