NDA stages sit-in outside parliament over JPC

NEW DELHI - National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs Monday staged a protest outside parliament building to press for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum scam and said they would now take their demand “to the people”.

Soon after parliament was adjourned during question hour, members of the NDA, led by senior leader L.K. Advani, held a sit-in demanding the JPC. The protest continued for 25 minutes.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, her Rajya Sabha counterpart Arun Jaitley and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sharad Yadav were among those who participated in the ‘dharna’ near the Gandhi statue in the parliament premises.

Swaraj later told reporters that the government “alone can be squarely blamed for the non-functioning of the parliament”.

“We were only demanding a JPC into the major scam. If the JPC was approved, we were ready for the normal functioning of the houses,” she added.

Swaraj said the NDA will take the JPC demand from the “parliament to the people”.

Describing Monday’s protest as the first step to take “the 2G spectrum issue to the people”, Swaraj said an NDA meeting to be presided by Sharad Yadav Tuesday will give final shape to the agitation, which included a rally in Delhi Dec 22.

The 23-day-long winter session of parliament could not function on all days other than the inaugural day due to opposition protests over the demand for a probe into the 2G spectrum scandal and adjournment of both the houses.