The all party meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker has concluded without resolving the stalemate in Parliament over the 2 G spectrum controversy.

At an all-party meeting called by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Tuesday, the Opposition made it clear that it will not allow Parliament to function till JPC into 2G spectrum allocation is set up but the government said the demand was “unacceptable”.

The Opposition parties also emphasised that it will not be satisfied by anything less than JPC, rejecting government’s proposal for Supreme Court monitored CBI probe into 2G scam.

The government also ruled out sine die adjournment of the session which is slated to conclude on 13th December.

To build pressure on the government, about 80 MPs belonging to non-NDA opposition parties marched to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to urge President Pratibha Patil to “advise” the government to set up JPC.

“All the Opposition parties demanded a JPC and if the government can’t give JPC, the Parliament would not be able to function. We have told this thing to the Speaker also,” Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj told reporters after the two-and-a-half hour meeting.

During the meeting, the Speaker suggested that the Question Hour should be allowed and other issues could be debated later but it was turned down by the Opposition.

“We asked how will that help if Question hour goes on,” Swaraj said, adding her party wanted Parliament to function not only one hour but the whole day.

“Why is the government refusing to accept JPC is bewildering. Government feels many skeletons will come out of its cupboard,” CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said.

Insisting that the demands for JPC do not fit in the rules of Parliament, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said, “This meeting could not bring about the results we expected.”

Contending that his effort was to end the impasse in Parliament, Kumar said, “Till a solution is found, both sides (government and Opposition) should continue efforts.”

Besides leaders from Congress and BJP, the meeting was attended by representatives of parties like JD(U), AIADMK, Left parties, TDP, Samajwadi Party, Trinamool Congress and National Conference.

At the meeting, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told the Opposition that its demand for JPC was “unacceptable” to the government.

He proposed SC-monitored CBI probe and reiterated readiness for attaching teams of multi-discplinary investigative agencies to the Public Accounts Committee.

“We didn’t get any assurance from the Government. They said that the PAC is already looking into the matter. If SC monitors the CBI inquiry, then the Opposition will get two inquires,” Swaraj said.

Bansal said the Opposition was expanding the ambit on which it seeks JPC and wants the loan scam unearthed by CBI to be brought in its purview. “This is preposterous,” he said.

Explaining the reasons for government’s refusal to accept demand for JPC, he said the Opposition wants the Parliamentary Committee to look into government formation and who played role in appointment of ministers.

“Can a Committee do this task? It is the prerogative of the Prime Minister and it cannot be questioned,” he asserted.

Justifying the demand for JPC, Swaraj said it has “unlimited scope” and can summon any agency or minister and question them whereas in the Supreme Court, only lawyers are allowed to argue.

“Even if Supreme Court agrees to monitor probe, how can JPC be redundant or irrelevant. We rejected this proposal,” the BJP leader said.

“We can’t understand how the Government can propose something which is in the domain of the Supreme Court. What the apex court will do or not do, how does the Government know about it? Even if it agrees, it won’t be in the JPC domain,” she said.

Observing that JPC is a Parliamentary body, she wondered how Parliament can lose its rights.

“Government is answerable towards the Supreme Court only on the issues it is asked to reply to or the things which are asked in the petition, whereas the government is accountable to Parliament,” Swaraj said.

She contended that the Opposition unity is getting strengthened on the JPC issue and the parties, which earlier were not coming out in the open, are now demanding it openly.

In this context, she said CPI was earlier ambiguous over the demand but now forthrightly asking for it.

She added that Samajwadi Party, AIADMK and BJD are also now insisting on JPC.

Govt-oppn standoff in Parliament for 13th straight day

The 13th consecutive day of the winter session of Parliament was wasted on Tuesday with opposition continuing to press for JPC probe into the 2G spectrum allocation and government refusing to yield.

The scenes witnessed ever since the session began earlier this month were repeated in both the Houses, with opposition members trooping into the well forcing adjournments initially for an hour and later for the entire day.

In the Lok Sabha, members of the BJP, Shiv Sena, AIADMK and SP shouted slogans ‘We want JPC’. They were countered by Congress members who waved placards and demanded resignation of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa.

They also displayed banners that posed “What About Shourie’s Revelation”, in apparent reference to former Telecom Minister and BJP leader Arun Shourie’s comments in a TV interview that he was replaced by his party colleague M Venkiah Naidu as the lead speaker for the Opposition BJP in the Rajya Sabha on the 2009 Budget.

On being asked by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, the Congress members folded the placards and took their seats.

They did not counter the opposition when the House reassembled at noon.

As opposition members renewed their protest, the House was soon adjourned for the day.

In the Rajya Sabha, soon after Chairman Hamid Ansari took up listed questions, Opposition BJP and AIADMK members trooped into the well raising slogans against alleged corruption at high places in the government.

Ansari chided opposition members, who refused to listen to him and continued raising slogans forcing adjournment of the House.

The Chairman also commented “what should be done on the streets is being done in the House. The Chair has no option but to adjourn the House till 12 noon”.

When the House reassembled, similar scenes were witnessed and it was soon adjourned for the day.