New Delhi, Feb. 15: The government on Tuesday appeared to have agreed in principle to constitute a joint parliamentary committee to investigate the alleged 2G spectrum allocation scam. Sources said a meeting of the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, agreed to form such a panel.
“The Union Cabinet discussed the issue threadbare. Most of the ministers expressed concern over the public perception going against the government over this issue. They also argued that when most aspects relating to the alleged scams had already come into the public domain owing to ongoing multi-pronged inquiries, there should not be any problem in conceding a JPC,” the sources said.
A formal announcement is expected to be made on the floor of the Lok Sabha after the Budget Session begins next week.
The Union finance minister and Leader of the Lok Sabha, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, has been entrusted with the task of finalising the modalities and terms of reference of such a parliamentary committee, the sources added.
The BJP, meanwhile, demanded that the ambit of the JPC be extended to cover all the ongoing corruption scams plaguing the country, but the Congress swiftly rejected this.