Its been 17 days since the Winter Session of Parliament was held hostage to the Opposition’s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum scam. On day 16, UPA was forced to stand alone after its allies ? including the DMK and Trinamool Congress ?stated they have no objections to a JPC probe.
UPA stood adamant even on Tuesday with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee saying there would be no reconsideration of the Opposition’s demand for a JPC. Replying rather crustily to a question on whether the government had reconsidered the decision on forming a JPC, Mukherjee said, ?I do not know whether the leaders of the Opposition are reconsidering and thinking of allowing the House to function. If they do we will welcome it.?
A Congress core committee meeting the same day ended with the conclusion that the government should stick to its stand. Senior ministers in the Cabinet give several reasons why the Congress should oppose a JPC on the 2G scam. ?The previous topics on which a JPC had been granted are what are generally referred to as ‘vegetarian’ scams like Harshad Mehta, Ketan Parikh, or even the Pepsi-Coke water contamination issue,? said a senior minister in the government. ?In this case, the Supreme Court has already made certain observations about the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Chief Vigilance Commission, the minister concerned. In a JPC, even one maverick MP could upset the applecart, with idols falling left, right and centre, do we really need this upset?? he said.
The allies have started hedging their bets over the JPC reflecting a communication gap between the Congress and the rest of the UPA. ?The allies are smaller parties, and two of them, the DMK and the Trinamool Congress, are to face important elections in a year’s time. They see no reason why they should appear as though they have something to hide. For the DMK, Raja has already gone, they have paid a price,? said a source in the Trinamool Congress.
Congress managers in fact say that a minor miscalculation has landed them in this spot. ?We thought Raja’s resignation before the session starts would ensure a peaceful Parliament. But the Opposition only got emboldened, now we have given in to a lot and have no bargaining chip left,? said a Congress floor manager. ?Now the only strategy is to stubbornly ride out the next seven days,? he added.
The BJP, meanwhile, is taking the issue to the streets. It will be holding a series of rallies on corruption first in Delhi, and then in Mumbai.