New Delhi, Feb. 8: The government and the Opposition on Tuesday moved closer on the issue of the constitution of a joint parliamentary committee to probe the 2G spectrum scam, sending out a signal that the stalemate on it could break in the Budget Session of Parliament beginning February 21.
The government did not reiterate its opposition to a JPC at the meeting of floor leaders in Parliament called by the Leader of the Lok Sabha and finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, at the Parliament Annexe on Tuesday afternoon. If insiders are to be believed, Mr Mukherjee told the meeting that no price is dearer than running Parliament.
Opposition leaders, including Mr L.K. Advani and Ms Sushma Swaraj (BJP), Mr Sharad Yadav( JD-U), Mr Mohan Singh (SP), Mr Sitaram Yechury and Mr Basudeb Acharia (CPI-M), Mr Gurudas Dasgupta and Mr D. Raja (CPI), Dr M.V. Mysoora Reddy (TD), and Mr Bharatkumar Raut and Mr Ganeshrao Dudhgaonkar (Shiv Sena) were optimistic of a positive outcome by February 20.