Speaker will try to resolve deadlock, JPC meet postponed

The Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G spectrum scam has deferred its October 3 meeting, in view of the Lok Sabha Speaker's efforts to persuade Bharatiya Janata Party, members who have threatened to quit the panel alleging bias on his part, its chairman P C Chacko said on Saturday.

"I have reported the matter (walk-out of BJP members and their threat) to the Lok Speaker (Meira Kumar). She has expressed her readiness to talk to the BJP members. Now I am waiting for the results of her efforts," said Chacko.

The meeting slated for October 3 was crucial as Attorney General G E Vahanvati was scheduled to depose before the JPC on that day.

Chacko said four BJP members of the JPC had walked out of the last meeting, demanding that he give an assurance on asking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to appear before the panel for deposition.

After the walkout, BJP accused Chacko of being biased and threatened to quit the panel if the chairman declined to summon the prime minister.

"As chairman of the JPC, I have not taken a personal stand on the issue. I believe the panel should work collectively. And, I think that the BJP has no reason to walk out," he said.

It was under these circumstances that the Lok Sabha Speaker expressed her readiness to talk to the BJP members and in view of this, the October 3 meeting had been postponed, Chacko said.

On the Supreme Court judgment on Presidential Reference on allocation of natural resources, Chacko claimed it endorsed the government's decision while making it clear that the 'yardsticks' accepted by the Comptroller and Auditor General in calculating the loss of allocating the coal mines were "not correct".

He said the court's acknowledgement that the government enjoyed the right to allocate natural resources through non-auction routes amounted to justification of its policy in this regard.