Mumbai: Expressing displeasure over formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) only for the 2G Spectrum allocation scam, Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray today said his party would stay away from it.
"Why the JPC was formed only to inquire 2G spectrum scam by the Centre. Shiv Sena would prefer to keep a distance from it," Uddhav said in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
"The NDA had demanded the JPC for inquiring all corruption cases including 2G spectrum, Commonwealth Games and Adarsh Housing Society. The announcement of JPC by the Prime Minister is a mere eyewash," he said.
The Sena leader also criticised his allies in NDA for suddenly being silent over scams after the JPC announcement.
The Supreme Court and CBI have already done their job in the 2G scam and those responsible - former Telecom Minister A. Raja and his colleagues - were sent to jail. Many big industrialists are also being quizzed on the issue, he said.
"But the question is why the Opposition gave up on the Commonwealth and Adarsh front (to be included in the JPC)," Uddhav asked.
The Sena leader's statement comes a day after media reports that party turned down ally BJP's offer of a seat in the JPC on the 2G scam as a multi-national company owned by one of its Rajya Sabha members is allegedly a beneficiary of the contract.
Based on its strength in both Houses of the Parliament, BJP was allotted four seats from Lok Sabha and two from Rajya Sabha in the 30-member JPC. Since long-time ally Shiv Sena did not have the numbers to get any seat in the panel, the BJP offered one seat from its share in LS, sources from BJP said.
The contract was given to Datacom Solutions that later became Videocon Telecommunications which is one of the companies that was alloted 2G Spectrum. Sena MP Rajkumar Dhoot's brother Venugopal Dhoot has deposed before the CBI in connection with the case.