Cong isolated on JPC: Advani

NDA chairman L K Advani claimed that the Congress opposition to a JPC probe stemmed from a design to shield the beneficiaries of the 2G spectrum allocation scandal.

NDA chairman L K Advani claimed on Tuesday that the Congress opposition to a JPC probe stemmed from a design to shield the beneficiaries of the 2G spectrum allocation scandal.

He was speaking to the media,a day after the winter session of Parliament came to an end without transacting any substantial business. Advani was flanked by Leaders of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley,respectively,NDA convenor Sharad Yadav,Shiv Sena leader Anant Geete and Akali Dal leader Naresh Gujral.

Advani said the twin considerations for the Congress were: one,it did not want the corruption to be examined minutely by MPs because that would have kept it alive far longer than the ruling party wanted; two,the money trail would have led to the people whom the Congress was desperate to shield. Otherwise,the Congress has no logical explanation for its stand against a JPC inquiry, he added.

The Congress stands isolated on the JPC issue, Advani said claiming that not just Opposition parties,even UPA allies have told us that they want a JPC.

The session,according to him,were washed out due to the sheer obduracy of the Congress.

On the other hand,the Opposition,by disrupting proceedings,had been able to keep the issue of corruption in focus. Had it opted for a discussion on corruption,the whole issue would have been talked out. He said while the Congress was talking in terms of wastage of public money due to a dysfunctional Parliament,people everywhere want to know who has embezzled Rs 1.76 lakh crore,he said.

Dismissing the talk of a mid-term Lok Sabha poll,Advani said the idea had been floated by a minister. This is scare-mongering, Advani said adding the move is intended to play on the fear of an early poll among MPs,none of whom obviously wanted his five-year term curtailed.

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He announced that the Opposition will follow up the December-22 anti-corruption rally at Delhi with big public meetings at 11 places in different states Ludhiana,Rohtak,Jaipur,Lucknow,Patna,Bhubaneswar,Bhopal,Ahmedabad,Mumbai,Hyderabad and Chennai.

We will not rest till the Government is made to account for every rupee embezzled from the exchequer, he said.