Allies try to break Congs JPC stonewall

Meeting between Pranab Mukherjee and UPA partners this evening was postponed.

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As the deadlock in Parliament entered its 17th day with barely a week left in this session,the Congress was under increasing pressure from its allies to accept the Oppositions demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee JPC to probe the 2G spectrum scam.

A scheduled meeting between Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and UPA partners this evening was postponed.

The Congress isnt inclined to give in conscious of the fact that it could be in a minority in the JPC. It also fears that the JPC could go on for two to three years casting a shadow on the 2014 elections as also on the ensuing Assembly elections in different states. And that this could keep the scam pot boiling.

Moreover,there is always the possibility of the Opposition trying to target the Prime Minister by involving him or his office in the course of the JPC probe.

Yet,there is tremendous pressure from its allies to set up a JPC. As The Indian Express had first reported,Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee had an open mind on the JPC given that she is under pressure from the Left in her state on the spectrum scam. The more we resist a JPC,the more it signals we are hiding something, said a TMC leader. Demanding a JPC,Banerjee was learnt to have told the Congress leadership last Saturday that the Left was taking a moral high ground on the issue of corruption while the TMC,as part of the UPA government,was on the backfoot on this issue in West Bengal. The UPA governments stand has been that as per Constitutional provisions,the CAG report on the 2G spectrum

allocation has to be referred to the Public Accounts Committee PAC. The government also offered to the Opposition that a multi-disciplinary investigative agency could be attached with the PAC to assist it. The Opposition has rejected these proposals. Allies have argued that its better to have a JPC headed by a ruling party leader than a PAC headed by an Opposition leader,said sources. Leaders of the NCP,the DMK and the National Conference were also learnt to have argued in favour of a JPC in their deliberations with Mukherjee in the past few days. After a meeting with Mukherjee on Monday evening,however,Sharad Pawar said that the UPA was united and its view is collective. Where is the question of split? We will discuss, he said. Asked whether some of the UPA allies hold different views than that of the Congress on JPC,he said,It will be a collective decision. I dont think any change is there. Opposition is insisting on JPC. Government thinks Public Accounts Committee is sufficient, said Pawar.

Asked about the NCPs stance,he said,We are here to discuss the issue as UPA and not as NCP or any other party.