Don’t want debate, we want JPC, says BJP

NEW DELHI - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday did not agree to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s offer of a special session of parliament on the 2G spectrum scam, saying it did not want a debate but a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe the issue.

“We do not want a debate on the JPC but want the JPC,” senior BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj told reporters here.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) also raised doubts about the offer, saying it had been made in a strange manner.

The opposition has been demanding a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to probe alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum which caused huge losses to the national exchequer.

CPI-M leader Nilotpal Basu said the party had not taken a view on Mukherjee’s offer. It has come in strange fashion, Basu told IANS.

Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja said the JPC was a reasonable demand and it was for the government to explain why it was shying away.

Finance Minister Mukherjee Wednesday said he was ready to call a special session of parliament to debate the need for a JPC probe into the spectrum scam, adding he was “sad” he could not end the winter session logjam.

Mukherjee Thursday, however, slammed the opposition for not having let parliament function in the winter session, saying they should apologise.