New Delhi:
It's the third week of a stalemate in Parliament with the Opposition refusing to budge on its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 2G scam, but the government is determined to not allow it. As a result no business is being carried out either in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha. Instead, there's been chaos and adjournment after adjournment.
Today, senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee attempted to break the deadlock yet again.
He called up senior BJP leader L K Advani and other Opposition leaders and appealed to them to let Parliament function.
Pranab even offered that the CBI probe into the 2G case be monitored by the Supreme Court besides a debate in Parliament.
The Opposition, however, remains adamant that it wants a probe by a JPC and nothing less.
The BJP leaders conveyed to Mukherjee that they were firm on their demand for a JPC probe and would not give it up.
"Government is primarily and constitutionally accountable only to Parliament. The best and only option in this case is a JPC probe," Deputy Leader of BJP in Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia said.
Meanwhile, Speaker Meira Kumar was apparently keen to hold all-party meeting at 4 pm on Monday to find a way out of the Parliament impasse.
But since Swaraj and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley will be away in Bhopal to attend a programme to mark five years of Shivraj Singh Chouhan's tenure as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, the meeting had to be postponed. It may now be held late in the evening on Monday or on Tuesday morning.
BJP sources said, Advani and Ahluwalia are likely to lead the opposition charge in forcing adjournment of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively tomorrow over the JPC probe demand.
Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed rejected suggestions that some of the UPA allies were also in favour of a JPC probe.
"The reply of the government is reply of the UPA. It is the reply of every party which is in the government. Government has already said that a JPC probe is not required in the matter and let PAC first examine the matter. Congress stand is also the same that the matter should be allowed to be looked into by the PAC," Ahmed said.
(With PTI inputs)