2G spectrum scam:

2G spectrum scam: Parties now fight for JPC berths

With just three days to go before the crucial budget session of Parliament begins, and with a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 2G spectrum scam now almost certain, the political focus has shifted to the composition of the JPC.

During preliminary talks, the government and the BJP are discussing on a 21 member committee - 14 from the Lok Sabha and seven from the Rajya Sabha.

However, parties like the CPM and AIADMK are alarmed. With less than 20 members, they may not get a berth if the committee is small, and so, they are out mounting pressure.

"A Parliamentary Standing Committee, which is a mini JPC has 30 members, so why should the JPC not have 30 members," questions Sitaram Yechury, CPM Politburo Member.

Though there are no separate rules, a berth in JPC is conventionally decided on the basis of proportional representation. The ruling majority gets more, and the smaller parties get left out.

Since the JPC will probe telecom policies since 2001 - a period during which the Congress and the BJP were in power - the Left and others are opposed to the two dominating the committee. So when Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee starts discussions over the terms and composition of the JPC, smaller parties will demand that the JPC should have a minimum of 30 members, and they should be nominated, not elected.

During the winter session, the government said no to a JPC inquiry, and that led to a complete paralysis of Parliament with less than ten hours of business being conducted. The government all throughout maintained that there was a need to debate the formation of a JPC but the Opposition held up Parliament, insisting on having a JPC first. Now the scramble is over the composition of the committee.

The government's other challenge are the terms and reference of the JPC. The government wants specific terms - to avoid attempts to expand the scope of the probe, once the JPC is functional. The Opposition has, however, demanded a broad-based probe.

The government has to work out these complex issues in the next five days, as the Opposition may get together, and disrupt the Parliament again, if there is no clear move on a JPC by next Tuesday.

The 2G scam cost A Raja the Telecom Ministry in November last year, after the government's auditor indicted him for deliberately under-valuing spectrum to benefit companies that were largely ineligible for it. The report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) estimated that the losses caused by Mr Raja in his mishandling of mobile network licences could add upto 1.76 lakh crores.

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DMK to defend Raja

DMK chief M Karunanidhi defends Raja, targets Jayalalithaa.

DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Wednesday defended his party colleague and former telecom minister A Raja, who is under the scanner over allegations of his involvement in the multi-crore 2G spectrum scam.

In a statement in his party mouthpiece Murasoli on Wednesday, Karunanidhi pointed out that AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa had challenged CAG reports that went against her government in the past.

He said that during AIADMK rule in 2003-04 the CAG had cited a "loss of over Rs 1000 because of short levy of taxes".

He asked the party workers to reach out to people and take on Jayalalithaa head on.

"It's not enough if only you know the truth, I urge you all and the senior party members to reveal all about the scams of the opposition in every meeting they address. The people should also know," Karunanidhi said in his statement.

CAG, in its report on the 2G spectrum issue, had mentioned a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore while it had quantified Rs 1,033 crore loss in its audit report in 2003-04 as a result of short levy of taxes, Karunanidhi claimed.

The statement also claimed that a section of media, referring to various sections from the then CAG report, had said thousands of crores of rupees had been lost in various departments, including frequent changing of ministers.

"What did Jayalalithaa, the then chief minister, do? She not only did not resign, but issued statements slamming CAG. She also said the CAG had not pointed out any glaring losses and that it would be referred to the Public Accounts Committee."

Senior DMK leaders will hold meetings across Tamil Nadu from December 24, following a call by Karunanidhi, to party cadres, to reach out to people through meetings and rallies for highlighting various alleged scams during the Jayalalithaa regime.

Law Minister Duraimurugan, Union Minister S Jegathratchagan, and former Union Minister T R Baalu will address various public meetings on the topic 'The Truth about Spectrum,' N Siva, DMK MP and party's propaganda secretary said.

The meetings will cover among other places, Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchirappalli and Cuddalore between December 24 and 30, Siva said in a statement.

He said Opposition parties and the media were "targeting" Raja as if he had "swindled a huge amount," adding that it was nothing but an effort to topple the Karunanidhi-led DMK government which was striving for the welfare of oppressed.

He termed as "lies" the allegations against Raja, who has been summoned by CBI for questioning in connection with its probe into the 2G spectrum scam.

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