BJP settles for JPC on 2G, gives up similar demands

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The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday clearly indicated that as a quid pro quo to the government yielding to the Opposition demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G spectrum allocation scam, it would no longer press for similar JPCs to go into the allotment of the S-Band spectrum by the Indian Space Research Organisation to a private firm, and the Commonwealth Games and Adarsh Housing Society scams.

For several weeks, the BJP had been arguing on the need for a separate JPC into the each of these scams. When the controversy over the allotment of S-Band spectrum to the Bangalore-based Devas broke out a fortnight ago, the party vehemently demanded a JPC to probe all aspects of the deal.

On Monday, at the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha on the opening day of the budget session of Parliament, the BJP listed specific subjects to be discussed — corruption; irregularities in the Adarsh Housing Society project; ISRO's S-Band; the growing Naxal menace; Chinese ‘intrusions'; functioning of the CBI; the targeting of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy; the alleged harassment of BJP workers by the Jammu and Kashmir government during the Tirangi yatra; and the alleged scam in the distribution of rations to defence personnel.

Responding to a query at a news conference here, BJP parliamentary party spokesperson S.S. Ahluwalia said the party was no longer demanding a JPC into the various issues it had raised recently.

Political observers say the BJP kept up its demand for separate JPCs into the various scandals faced by the Manmohan Singh government in order to pressure the Centre on the 2G spectrum issue.