With Opp unrelenting, govt needs to come up with new proposal

Yechury said that the arrest of former Telecom Minister A Raja and findings of the Shivraj Patil Committee have reinforced the demand for JPC into the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Both Raja and Yechury said that the responsibility of running Parliament rests with the government and "we have yet not got any fresh proposal from it."

"We want the House to function. Whether the House will function or not, that is the responsibility of the government. If it remains obdurate like it remains now that there is no JPC, the responsibility of functioning of Parliament is on the government," Yechury told reporters here.

Asked whether the Left would agree to have a discussion on the need for JPC in Parliament, he said there was no such proposal from the government in this regard. "Let us see the proposal. We are hearing it from you (media) people. It's not a government proposal. It's your proposal.

"First let the government say what they want. Parliament will function when the government comes up and say what they want. They have not come up with any proposals," he said.

BJP leaders including L K Advani have said that the party-led NDA stands by the demand of JPC and there is "no dilution".

After the washout of the month-long Winter Session on the JPC demand, government is beginning the fresh exercise tomorrow to end the impasse as the three-month long Budget session is just a fortnight away.

Congress, which is opposed to the JPC, appeared soft on the issue with party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan recently remarking that the party was "open" to discussing  a resolution which entails voting in Parliament on the issue of JPC.
Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar has held three rounds of talks with leaders of political parties to ensure smooth functioning of the Budget Session after the longest shutdown of Parliament in the Winter Session on the JPC issue.

BJP-led NDA is sticking to its demand for a JPC probe into the three scams related to 2G spectrum allocation, Adarsh Housing Society and Commonwealth Games preparations.
At tomorrow's meeting, NDA has decided to continue to press for a JPC probe into the three scams.

Significantly, Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has said it does not have a problem with a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe if Congress agrees to it.The Trinamool Congress is the second largest party in the UPA after the Congress.