2G scam: Shiv Sena turns down BJP's JPC seat offer

The Shiv Sena has turned down ally Bharatiya Janata Party's offer of a seat in the Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G Spectrum scam as a multi-national company owned by one of its Rajya Sabha members is allegedly a beneficiary of the contract, sources said.

Based on its strength in both Houses of Parliament, the 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 Lok Sabha.

Sources in the BJP said Shiv Sena turned down this offer, as its Rajya Sabha member Rajkumar Dhoot is a partner in Videocon Telecommunications which is one of the companies that was allotted 2G Spectrum.

The contract was given to Datacom Solutions that later became Videocon Telecommunications. Rajkumar Dhoot's brother Venugopal Dhoot has deposed before the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with the case.

Though BJP sources gave this reason, there was no official word from Shiv Sena on why it had opted out. After Shiv Sena refused the BJP offer, the principal opposition nominated its Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde to the JPC.

Other BJP members in the committee are Jaswant Singh, Yashwant Sinha and Harin Pathak from Lok Sabha and party Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia and Ravi Shankar Prasad from the Upper House.

Another BJP ally Janata Dal-United has nominated its party president Sharad Yadav to the JPC.