UPA in a tangle: Allies ask questions, opposition ups heat

So far unfazed in the face of the blistering opposition attack over the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into different issues, the Congress-led UPA seems to be taking some serious knocking from its constituents with the alliance partners challenging Congress’s stand on many prickly subjects.

A couple of days after NCP chief Sharad Pawar threw his weight behind the developers of the Lavasa project near Pune and endorsed Ratan Tata’s views on Nira Radia tapes, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Wednesday criticised his own government on tapping of phones, selective leaks and related issues.

To compound the troubles for the Congress, the NCP on Wednesday suggested that central vigilance commissioner PJ Thomas should quit in the wake of the controversy over his continuance in the post after the Supreme Court’s observations against him. Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyaya said that the issue should be discussed among Congress allies.

The opposition, led by the BJP, has been insisting on the removal of Thomas.

Farooq’s comments came at a public function. “We are a free country. Why are you tapping phones? If you tap mine, I could be talking to my girlfriend. How does it help tapping phones?” he asked. He refused to accept the government’s defence that sporadic tapping was necessary to track money launderers.

“Hawala operators are all over the country. I don’t think you have caught them by tapping,” he said.

Pawar had also taken exception to the way the CBI is being “over-used” in the 2G spectrum and companies were being harassed to vitiate the investment climate at a meeting held with UPA’s trouble-shooter Pranab Mukherjee on Monday.

The DMK seems to have broken ranks by pleading with the government to at least concede the demand to “consider forming a JPC even if it doesn’t want to on the 2G issue”.

The Trinamool Congress has already made its dissent clear over the ruling party’s stubborn attitude not to accept the opposition’s demand for a JPC and allow Parliament to function.

“Parliament is paralysed. How can I make a statement and clarify my position? Now I will knock the door of the Supreme Court for redressal,” former telecom minister A Raja told DNA.

—With agency inputs