M A I N   N E W S

Parliament Logjam
Communists willing to cooperate
But the rest of Opposition leaders firm on a JPC probe
Faraz Ahmad
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 31
The Communist parties indicated to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar here today that they are not on the same page as the BJP on the question of a JPC probe into the 2G scam.

Meira Kumar, who tried to persuade BJP leaders LK Advani and Sushma Swaraj to allow Parliament to run failed yesterday against the BJP’s clear obduracy to continue stalling Parliament, invited other political parties to lunch at her Akbar Road residence today.

She raised the same issue with them. The participants included NCP chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, CPM leader Basudeb Acharia, CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta, JD-U president Sharad Yadav, AIADMK leader Thambidurai and RLD president Ajit Singh as also Leader of the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee.

At the meeting, most participants agreed with the Speaker on the need to allow Parliament to run smoothly. But the Opposition leaders repeated their demand for a JPC.

However, in contrast to the BJP’s insistence upon a JPC first before allowing Parliament to run, the Left parties made it clear that there are more urgent and burning issues which need to be discussed. In effect, without spelling it in so many words the two Communist parties indicated their disinterest in stalling Parliament any further in the coming Budget session.

Later, Basudeb Acharia said the restoration of normalcy depends to a large extent upon the government. “Why the government is not agreeing to a JPC when JPCs have been constituted even on earlier occasions.” But the CPM leader also added, “We want the House to run. We want to discuss many burning issues concerning the people including the price rise.

Apparently Mukherjee told them that already the matter is being probed by the CBI under the guidance of the Supreme Court.

Moreover, the PAC is also looking into the allegations and the Prime Minister has offered to appear before the PAC.

CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta spoke in the same vein saying, “We reiterated our stand on the issue. At the same time we made it clear that there are many more weighty issues which we need to address other issues. Today the rate of inflation is 14.4 per cent and food inflation is even higher. How can we ignore such issues?

Curiously, Trinamool Congress, supporting the government and Samajwadi Party towing the same line as the BJP both stayed away from this meeting.