New Delhi:
After facing Opposition heat over the demand of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum scam, the government found the support of its allies.
In a meeting of the UPA today, key allies including Trinamool Congress and the DMK backed the government's stand against a JPC.
The Congress is open to a discussion but has strongly opposed a JPC probe. It says the Opposition is not interested in probe, they are insisting on a JPC only for political ends.
The Opposition has been firing salvo against the government for the past two weeks over the alleged 2G spectrum allocation scam demanding a probe by a JPC. Both the Houses of Parliament have been facing adjournment over adjournment as the Opposition has rejected numerous appeals from the government to break the deadlock.
The Opposition did not let any work get done in Parliament on Monday, the consecutive 12th day and Parliament was adjourned for the day.
The Opposition members, however, gave a break to their protests in the thinly-attended Lok Sabha to allow the House to laud the performance of Indian sportspersons in the Asian Games held in China.
Both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha were adjourned for an hour as soon as they met for the day at 11 am, and then for the day because of the pandemonium, with members trooping into the well raising slogans in favour of a JPC probe.
In the Rajya Sabha, where the attendance was better than that in the Lower House, members from BJP and AIADMK were in the well even before Chairman Hamid Ansari could take seat.
When the House re-convened, Opposition members were again in the well even before Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan entered the House.
In the Lok Sabha, there was calm when the House met for the day and Speaker Meira Kumar read out a statement lauding the performance of Indian sportspersons in the recently concluded Asian Games.
Minister of State for Labour Harish Rawat was seen congratulating Suresh Kalmadi, President of the Indian Olympic Association and member from Pune.
But as soon as the Speaker took up the Question Hour, members of BJP, SP, AIADMK and other Opposition parties rushed to the well demanding JPC probe, forcing Kumar to adjourn the House till noon.
When the House met again, similar scenes were witnessed as members trooped into the well, displaying placards and copies of newspapers carrying reports on the 2G spectrum scam.