PM attends speaker’s all-party meeting
By IANSSunday, February 20, 2011
NEW DELHI - In a significant gesture, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday joined leaders of all political parties at a luncheon meeting hosted by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and hoped for a “fruitful” budget session of parliament that begins Monday.
Manmohan Singh also said that the government is ready to discuss all issues.
The modalities for setting up a joint parliamentary committee to probe the 2G spectrum scam is reported to have figured in the talks.
The speaker is reported to have conveyed to the leaders on how important it is for normalcy to be restored in parliament.
With the government ready for a JPC probe, talks are being held on when to announce the decision, as well as the composition of the committee.
Earlier, at a pre-session press conference Friday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said that the government will in a day or two take a decision on the issue of a JPC probe into the 2G spectrum scam.
The 23-day winter session in November-December last year was virtually washed out as the opposition party members persistently protested, demanding a JPC into the 2G spectrum scam.
Research groups have calculated that the national exchequer suffered a loss of Rs.171 crore due to the disruption of parliamentary work in the winter session.
