BJP wants immediate announcement from government on JPC

Amid indications from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government that it might agree on setting up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the 2G spectrum allocation scam, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has upped its ante and demanded an immediate announcement from the government in this regard.

“We want the government to make an announcement immediately but we will wait till February 21 when the Budget Session will begin. The government is calling political parties for meetings, lunches and dinners but they are not announcing a JPC probe. Why is the government scared to form a JPC?” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain asked on Wednesday.

The Congress, however, is not ready yet to allow the Opposition score brownie points on this issue. “How can a JPC be announced outside Parliament when the session is about to begin?” questioned a Congress spokesperson. The ruling party has pointed out that the motion for a JPC can not be brought outside the House and so there cannot be any prior commitment.

The leaders of the National Democratic Alliance, along with the BJP, have been adamant on the demand for a JPC to probe corruption scams on 2G spectrum allocation, Commonwealth Games and the Adarsh Housing society. Although there have been several rounds of discussions between the government and Opposition parties, there has been no breakthrough so far.

“We are not going to change our stand on JPC. It is now the responsibility of the government to create conditions for Parliament to function during the Budget Session,” said Hussain.

Senior leaders of the BJP believe that the government would eventually agree for a JPC probe because of the continuous pressure from all the Opposition parties.

The BJP leaders have also said they would decide on their strategy in the Budget Session only on the eve of the session.

The party has again attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for allotting S-band spectrum to a private company Devas Multimedia. The spectrum was allegedly allotted by the Indian Space Research Organisation at a cost or Rs 1,000 crore.

“The Department of Science is with the PM. Both the Prime Minister and Prithviraj Chavan who was earlier the minister of state must come out and clear their stand on the issue. We are not going to leaving this issue easily. Just as the Opposition made pressure on the government to act in the 2G spectrum scam, similarly we will not let this government cause a loss of Rs 2 lakh crore in this scam as well,” Hussain added.