By IANS,
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday said the government should agree to its demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum issue and suggested that parliament, adjourned for the 20th successive day, be extended by 15 days to complete the pending legislative business.
Putting forth the party suggestion, BJP leader S.S. Ahluwalia said: “We are prepared to sit extra time to complete the pending business.”
Ahluwalia said the BJP would go to the people with its demand for a JPC probe into the 2008 allotment of second generation telephony airwaves to mobile companies.
Asked if it was too late for the government to concede the demand with only two working days left for the winter session to conclude, Ahluwalia said: “It was not too late.”
He also said that there was a feeling among opposition members that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of parliament should not come in the way of a JPC probe into the 2G spectrum controversy.
“This is true that some members are saying that the PAC should not come in the way of the JPC,” Ahluwalia said, answering queries from mediapersons.
The PAC, which is looking into the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report into the 2G spectrum controversy, is headed by BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi.
Ahluwalia also took a dig at the Congress for “suddenly finding virtues in Joshi”.
“They (the Congress) used to call him ‘ponga pandit’ (empty-headed intellectual), had accused him of saffronising text books, and had criticised him for introducing courses like astrology,” Ahluwalia said, referring to Joshi’s tenure as human resource development minister during the National Democratic Alliance government.