NDA says ready to make up for loss of work if joint parliamentary committee is formed

The NDA today said it was ready for a five-day special session to compensate for the loss of work due to the current deadlock in Parliament provided the government concedes to the opposition demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the secong generation telephony spectrum issue.

"Let the government hold a special session of Parliament for five days after constituting the joint parliamentary committee. We are ready to sit till midnight to complete the Parliament work," JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav told reporters here.

Yadav, who is also the convener of NDA, made the remarks hours after a meeting of the BJP-led alliance in the morning.

Sources said that the NDA meeting attended by leaders from BJP, JD (U), Shiv Sena and Akali Dal, discussed the idea of the special session but ruled out any such concession unless the JPC demand is accepted by the government.

The NDA meeting also discussed the issue of "JPC-versus Murali Manohar Joshi headed public accounts committee (PAC)" in the light of the PAC becoming "highly active" in pursuing the 2G mobile scam issue after the CAG report was tabled in Parliament.

The NDA leaders felt that PAC becoming active at this juncture could undermine the opposition's campaign for JPC.

The Congress took the opportunity to make a major issue out of it saying BJP should explain whether it does not trust its own senior leader. The ruling party at the Centre has also been repeatedly referring to Joshi's remarks that PAC has the powers to investigate all aspects of the scam.

"There was a view that the JPC demand should not be diluted. Even BJP leaders raised the issue," a senior leader of NDA told PTI.

The meeting also chalked out plans for a rally against corruption once the Parliament session is over.

The prospective date for the rally was also discussed keeping in mind the forthcoming Plenary session of Congress and Muharram.

Sources said that the strategy of the NDA would be to make this agitation a rallying point for all opposition parties on the lines of July 5 Bharat Bandh against price hike.

JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav is said to be in touch with parties like AGP, TDP, AIADMK and INLD over the issue. Yadav is learnt to have also apprised the BJP of his party's reservations over the continuance of Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa inspite of serious corruption charges against him.

Significantly, the NDA meeting took place a day after the non-NDA opposition parties held a separate meeting on the JPC issue in which the Left parties and JD (Secular) said BJP has no moral right to raise the issue of corruption after the Karnataka episode.

"There are difficulties on certain things. But there is issue based unity among the opposition parties and hence the plan is to make the agitation as comprehensive as possible. Even if some parties hold separate rallies on the same day, our purpose of opposition unity is served," a leader said.