By IANS
New Delhi : The government, after rejecting the opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to study the implications of the India-US nuclear deal, Thursday offered it any other “mechanism” including one similar to a committee of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the Left parties.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said he personally made this offer to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj, while Leader of the House in the Lok Sabha Pranab Mukherjee met Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani earlier in the day with this offer.
“Mukherjee told Advani, ‘if you want to evolve any mechanism to discuss any provision of the nuclear agreement, come to me and we will work out accordingly’,” Dasmunsi told reporters.
He added Advani informed Mukherjee that he would discuss the offer within his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) first before getting back to him.
“Till now, no one has got back to Pranabda to say what they want,” Dasmunsi added.
The ruling UPA and the supporting Left parties have formed a 16-member committee under External Affairs Minister Mukherjee, consisting eight members each from the two sides, to examine the implications of the 123 agreement on the long term national interests of India.
The opposition led by the NDA had criticised the formation of the committee, with Advani terming it as partisan. The opposition’s demand for a JPC to study the nuclear deal has repeatedly stalled parliament proceedings this week.
“We would not have insisted on a JPC if the government had not formed a private committee with the Left. If there is anybody competent to examine the treaty it has to be a JPC and none other,” Advani said Wednesday.
Informed sources said the government made the offer keeping in mind the BJP-lead NDA’s objections.
The government’s move however does not seem to improve the prospects of running parliament smoothly though both Dasmunsi and Swaraj publicly hoped that the other side would heed to their pleas.
Swaraj denied Thursday that her demand was leading to an early adjournment of parliament and said, “In democracy one has to build pressure. Even our earlier demands for JPCs were not conceded in a day. We are hopeful that finally the government would come round to our point of view.”
Dasmunsi, after saying “Never, never, never” for a JPC, added, “I still hope against hope that good sense will prevail and they will allow the House to run.”