New Delhi: The CPI-M on Tuesday objected to the manner in which the prime minister announced formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the 2G spectrum scam, saying the government has sought to make a virtue of its own inaction.
"The PM is making a virtue of their own inaction by saying that they are being benevolent and concerned that parliament should function," Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters.
"All reasons given by government, including CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), and PAC (Public Accounts Committee) and even Justice Patil report, are all in the public domain, but the Left parties were seeking a JPC primarily to examine how the system was grossly manipulated," Yechury said.
He said the firms Swan and Unitech sold their stakes 'by at least six times more than what they paid to the government'.
Yechury said the normal practice of forming a standing committee is that it comprises 30 members besides the chairman.
'The government should adhere to the same norm' in setting up the JPC, he said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday made the announcement on the JPC in both houses of parliament and asked Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar to start the process to establish the panel - a common demand of opposition parties.
The panel is to investigate alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum licences to telecom firms by former communications minister A. Raja.