JPC : A mockery of Democracy
The recent game play and shallow behavior by the Joint Parliamenry Committee members over the draft of 2g scam has brought Indian Democracy to shame. Congress and its allies have created a ruckus over the indictment of former telecom minister A Raja in the 2G scam , and on the role of Prime Minister’s office on going easy on the issue, and on role of the then finance minister p chidambaram.Under the Chairmanship of committee chief Murli Manohar Joshi the conlusions have still more stirred the already ruffled hornest’s nest. Congress and DMK has taken strong objection to the conclusions and have joined hand with some other committee members in condemning Joshi for being hell-bent-on-vendetta against the PM and congress. JPC’s draft report has made DMK and Congress strange bedfellows. While on the political turf CBI inquiry’s ever-increasing ambit has made DMK an estranged partner of the coalition, in the JPC boardroom the cornered Dravida party has joined hands with an equally targeted congress.
Strange party games were played in the committee to stall the report. Members from the bahujan samaj party and samajwadi party were`` won `’ over by congress-dmk combine to neutralize the bjp clout in the 21 member committee. The opposing members strength tallied to 11.Saifuddin Soz was chosen the head of the committee by the opposing members. However, joshi was seen as unrelenting. He has declined a vote on the matter and is expected to hand over the report to Lok Sabha Speaker Meera Kumar. Then, according to rules, it will be speaker’s onus to decide on the fate of the report.
The deadlock and the resulting acrimony between the congress and the bjp is expected to spill outside the committee and may see a more defiant bjp manhandling the upa 2 government. With 2g already a ready ammunition for the bjp, the recent developments can add to the viciousness of the attack on the government.
With corruption a redhot issue, the government can ill-afford such stalling tactics to sabotage a report which in all counts has opened a stinking cupboard in the governmet’s house.