No Budget session of Parliament if no JPC on 2G, threatens BJP

Kanpur/Lucknow, Feb 5 (PTI) Ahead of Finance MinisterPranab Mukherjee''s meeting with opposition parties on Tuesday,BJP today said there would be no dilution in its stand on aJPC probe into the 2G spectrum scam and threatened to disruptthe Budget session of Parliament if the demand was not met.

"We stick to our demand for a Joint ParliamentaryCommittee probe into 2G spectrum allocation and other scamsand will not allow Parliament to function during the Budgetsession," senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh said addressing anNDA rally at Kanpur.

"No matter how much the Congress blames us for disruptingParliament proceedings and accuses us of harming the interestof the people, we want to tell the nation that by demandingJPC we intend to retrieve the Rs 1.76 lakh crore presumptiveloss to the exchequer because of 2G scam," he said.

BJP veteran L K Advani, who could not make it to the rallyat Kanpur as his aircraft could not land there due to badweather, told reporters in Lucknow that he was hopeful thatthe government will accept the JPC demand.

"I am hopeful that when the meeting with oppositionparties takes place on February 8, the government will acceptour demand for a JPC probe into the 2G spectrum case," hesaid.

Describing as shocking the presumptive loss of Rs 1.76lakh crore projected by CAG, Advani said, "When the figurescame Prime Minister, who has now admitted A Raja''sinvolvement, was not ready to admit."

He said when people asked him whether the UPA would beable to weather the storm over the 2G issue, he told them thatthis could be a "turning point".

Alleging that the promptness to prosecute those involvedin corruption was lacking, the NDA chairperson hoped thegovernment, which was initially adamant not to accept JPCdemand even if the opposition got united, may now bow topressure.

To a specific question whether the opposition will stallthe Budget session if JPC demand was not met, Advani said anydecision will be taken after seeing the government''s reaction.

"First let''s see what the government has to say on ourdemand, then we will decide," he said.

On the issue of Indian money in foreign banks, the BJPleader said that he first raised the issue in 2008. "When Icame to know that Germany was ready to share the names ofthose having accounts in foreign banks, I wrote to the PrimeMinister that India should seek details," he said.

"Then when I came to know that some names have come andwere not being revealed on the ground of confidentiality, wemoved the Supreme Court and said that the government is nottelling anything," he said. More PTI ZIR AVA ALM SMI