Govt rejects Opposition’s demand of JPC

A day after BJP leader L K Advani alleged that the arrangement of the UPA-Left Committee was aimed at saving the government, Mukherjee said “of course. It is my job to save the government. It is my additional responsibility to carry my supporters so that the government continues.”

Observing that formation of a Committee was an internal arrangement and nothing to do with Parliament or the Government, Mukherjee asked the BJP-led NDA whether the Congress ever asked what discussions George Fernandes and Jaswant Singh had with AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa when she withdrew support to Vajpayee government in 1999.

“We have entered into a coalition. Till the last moment, I shall try to see that the government survives,” he said, adding that whatever has to be told to the opposition on the issue the government would do so in Parliament as it has been doing.

Dubbing the demand for JPC as “funny”, Mukherjee said that even in Lok Sabha, Speaker Somnath Chatterjee has also held that there has been no provision in the Constitution for a JPC on an international agreement.

Mukherjee, who is the Convener of the Committee, had a meeting with CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury.

In a point-by-point rebuttal, Mukherjee rubbished the demand for JPC retorting “what purpose the JPC will serve. Are you going to write a new Constitution.”

Seeking to tell the Opposition that they should keep away from the internal affairs of the coalition, Mukherjee wondered whether the Congress had at any time asked what transpired in the NDA when George Fernandes had to resign as Defence Minister in the wake of Tehelka expose and his subsequent reinstatement.

The formation of the Committee was announced not by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but by Mukherjee in his capacity as spokesperson of the UPA-Left Coordination Committee and not as Foreign Minister.

The External Affairs Minister disagreed with the suggestion that Opposition should have been taken into confidence as there has always been consensus on foreign policy.

“Did you see a consensus in 1974 and 1998 and Indo-Soviet Friendship Agreement in 1971?” he asked referring to the Pokhran tests during Indira Gandhi’s regime and when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.

Besides, he asked whether the NDA even informed Parliament about discussion on Next Steps in Strategic Partnership with the US.

At the same time, he said there was a broad consensus on foreign policies on issues like Non-Alignment Movement, friendship with neighbours, economic development among developing countries and others.