JPC on 2G scam could be a broad-based committee

The government will make efforts to make the planned Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the 2G scam broad-based to accommodate as many parties as possible.

According to the government sources today, the effort is to make the JPC a "broad-based committee" with its strength likely to be between 21 and 30.

Sources said if the JPC has 30 MPs then it would comprise 20 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha. If the Committee is set up with 21 members, then 14 will be from the Lower House and 7 from the House of Elders, they said.

If the size of the JPC is kept small, there could be representation for only seven to nine major parties. Congress, BJP, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, BSP, JD-U and DMK could get the membership in view of their numbers. There are a total of 37 parties in Parliament.

In such a scenario, the AIADMK, which has been in the forefront of the demand for a JPC, is unlikely to get a place due to lack of required strength in Parliament and it will be a similar fate for NCP, National Conference and Muslim League, despite being members of the ruling UPA

Deputy leader of BJP in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde, as also other opposition party members, have suggested that JPC should have more than 30 members to provide representation for smaller parties.

There is also talks that a Union Minister could be asked to head the committee but there is no confirmation on this matter as yet.

B Shankaranand had resigned as Cabinet Minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government to head the JPC on Bofors scandal.