NEW DELHI: The government is likely to announce a 21-member Joint Parliamentary Committee on the 2G spectrum scam with the Prime Minister all set to make a statement in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Congress reluctantly agreed to set up the committee but would like it to wind up its proceedings by the next parliament session so that it does not cast a shadow over the government's functioning beyond a reasonable time frame. PC Chacko, party MP from Kerala, is likely to head the committee.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will make a statement on the government's readiness to constitute the JPC before the start of discussion on the motion of thanks to the President's address on Tuesday.
The PM's announcement will pave the way for smooth functioning of Parliament and restore order after the opposition blanked out the winter session.
On Thursday, telecom minister Kapil Sibal will move the motion on JPC, drawing curtains on the deadlock between government and opposition over the contentious issue of parliamentary probe.
The motion on JPC will be accompanied by a six-hour debate on the 2G scam. Congress hopes the debate will give the Centre an opportunity to put forth its version of events leading to the spectrum scam to neutralise the charges levelled by the opposition.
Congress wants that despite aberrations, the Centre should be able to project the strong action it has taken against the culprits to score political points over the opposition. It is also keen to rebuff the charge that PMO nodded to the spectrum allocation process. Else, Congress feels, the UPA brass will continue to be under the shadow of the opposition's allegations.
PC Chacko is among the frontrunners to chair JPC. If he gets the nod ahead of other names, Congress would be handing over the chairmanship of the crucial panel to a leader whom it has often entrusted with taking on the opposition.
The government push for a 21-member JPC is aimed to give it a focussed look which will help it wind up its work early. The opposition is insisting on a larger panel since it will bring more parties into play and make it tougher for the ruling dispensation. A senior minister, however, said the government would go for a 21-member panel which would have 14 from Lok Sabha and seven from the Upper House.
TOI
The Congress reluctantly agreed to set up the committee but would like it to wind up its proceedings by the next parliament session so that it does not cast a shadow over the government's functioning beyond a reasonable time frame. PC Chacko, party MP from Kerala, is likely to head the committee.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will make a statement on the government's readiness to constitute the JPC before the start of discussion on the motion of thanks to the President's address on Tuesday.
The PM's announcement will pave the way for smooth functioning of Parliament and restore order after the opposition blanked out the winter session.
On Thursday, telecom minister Kapil Sibal will move the motion on JPC, drawing curtains on the deadlock between government and opposition over the contentious issue of parliamentary probe.
The motion on JPC will be accompanied by a six-hour debate on the 2G scam. Congress hopes the debate will give the Centre an opportunity to put forth its version of events leading to the spectrum scam to neutralise the charges levelled by the opposition.
Congress wants that despite aberrations, the Centre should be able to project the strong action it has taken against the culprits to score political points over the opposition. It is also keen to rebuff the charge that PMO nodded to the spectrum allocation process. Else, Congress feels, the UPA brass will continue to be under the shadow of the opposition's allegations.
PC Chacko is among the frontrunners to chair JPC. If he gets the nod ahead of other names, Congress would be handing over the chairmanship of the crucial panel to a leader whom it has often entrusted with taking on the opposition.
The government push for a 21-member JPC is aimed to give it a focussed look which will help it wind up its work early. The opposition is insisting on a larger panel since it will bring more parties into play and make it tougher for the ruling dispensation. A senior minister, however, said the government would go for a 21-member panel which would have 14 from Lok Sabha and seven from the Upper House.
TOI
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