Amidst the deadlock in Parliament over the Opposition demand for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into alleged 2G spectrum allocation scam, the ruling Congress on Tuesday stepped its attack on the BJP by dubbing the saffron outfit a “drama company”.
Hitting out the main Opposition, AICC spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, while listing out the corruption cases during the NDA rule, said that in none of the cases the then Atal Behari Vajpayee-led Central government had offered any Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe and there was “no CBI, no ED, no JPC” to investigate the matter. “On the issue of corruption, the BJP can do and does no better than a drama company. It indulges in mere breast-beating with a double face and forked tongue,” the Congress leader accused.
Claiming that the main Opposition was practising “not only double standards, but crass hypocrisy” on the issue of corruption, the Congress leader said, “It’s difficult for any government to guarantee absence of allegations of corruption but important issue is how they are reacted to and dealt with.” Mr Sighvi said, “Those who are preaching far and wide to us and the country have an abysmal record in practising firm action (against corruption)... For the BJP morality is selective and accusation is expedient.”
He named the Kargil coffin scam, Tehelka defence scandal, petrol pumps allocation in 2002 and disinvestment episode as well as the recent land controversy in Karnataka as examples, saying the BJP failed to act in any of them.
Alleging that “Karnataka redefined corruption”, the Congress leader said the BJP’s response on the issue was one of “abject surrender”.
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Sibal rejects JPC demand
Age Correspondent
New Delhi
Nov. 30: Union telecom minister Kapil Sibal on Tuesday rejected opposition demand for JPC probe into the 2G scam. The minister stated that there was no scope for such a probe when actions related to administrative aspect and criminal culpability had already been initiated by the government.
“The Opposition has the right to throw out the government but if it can’t, it should allow the government and Parliament to function,” he stated.