2G scam: Trinamool may go with Congress on JPC issue

Trinamool Congress, which has been supportive of the clamour for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the second generation mobile spectrum allocation scam, may go with the Congress if it accepts the opposition demand.

The major ally has decided to go with the Congress saying, "We have no objection to JPC if the government accepts it", Trinamool Congress sources told Press Trust of India in New Delhi.

Banerjee has already made it clear that being a UPA ally, her party would go with whatever stand the coalition government at the Centre takes in the matter.

Earlier the party had said they were willing to support the demand for JPC probe into the spectrum issue.

However, the party wanted a debate on the issue in Parliament. "Let us hear the opposition view on their demand for a JPC. Let us also hear why the government has so far refused to accept it", they said.

The statement came a day after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had a crucial meeting with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee in Kolkata in a bid to strengthen unity between their parties ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal.

The two leaders are understood to have discussed ways to end the stalemate in Parliament due to the opposition's insistence on JPC probe into the 2G spectrum allocation scam which led to a washout of the entire Winter Session.

The Trinamool chief has asked party's chief in Lok Sabha, Sudip Bandopadhyay, to attend the all-party meeting convened by Mukherjee on February eight, authorising him to explain the party's stand there.

When contacted, Bandopadhyay told PTI from Kolkata that he would attend the meeting. "Being the second largest party in the UPA coalition, we have a major role to play. We are with the UPA", he said.

Apart from issues relating to Parliament, the two ministers are also believed to have discussed issues like finalisation of the dates of the assembly polls, deployment of central security forces in view of apprehension of violence ahead of the elections, party sources said here.

"We have apprehensions about violence in the run-up to the polls. Deploying central forces in the state is not adequate. They are not enough in numbers," the sources said.

After the hour-long meeting last night, the finance minister had said, "We discussed how to deal with such a situation unitedly since Congress has an alliance with Trinamool Congress and both are working together in the Union cabinet and running the UPA government".

Trinamool leaders stressed the need to improve coordination and increase interaction between Congress and its partners.

Like UPA-I when there used to be regular meetings between the leaderships of Congress and the supporting Left parties, UPA-II should have such meetings every two to three months, the sources said.

Lack of such coordination has led UPA partners to take varied stands on key issues like the petrol price raise, they said while referring to street protests by Trinamool Congress activists in Kolkata a few weeks ago to protest the Centre's move.

"All issues which directly affect the people should be discussed with the coalition partners. Nothing should be done unilaterally. There should be more interaction between allies and this is what Congress president Sonia Gandhi herself wants," the sources said.