JPC demand: Parl stalled; govt claims ?UPA united?

As Parliament proceedings were stalled for the 18th day on Tuesday over the Opposition?s demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into 2G scam, the government stood firm on rejecting such a inquiry while claiming that its allies were a united house on this account.

Ruling out a JPC probe into the 2G Spectrum allocation scam, Parliamentary Affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said, ?There is no rethinking on the JPC. JPC is uncalled for. It is only a political handle being used by the Opposition.?

Stating that the ?allies are very much part of the government and we stand united?, he said the allies? sentiments have been ?quite eloquently? expressed by NCP chief Sharad Pawar.

Pawar, chief of the key Congress ally, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), had said on Monday, ?UPA is united, there is no rethink on the stand against JPC.?

However, the Opposition has been claiming that there were differences within the government over the JPC issue as some allies, including the Trinamool Congress (TC) and National Conference (NC), have voiced support for a JPC.

?We will not go against the government publicly,? said TC chief whip Sudip Bandopadhayay on Tuesday.

?A JPC is welcome, but we are not going against the government. There can be a debate on why the Opposition wants a JPC and the government is against it,? he added.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool, which faces a crucial state poll in West Bengal next year, has put pressure on the government to soften its stand on the JPC.

Another key ally, DMK, has also left it to the government to decide on the JPC demand.

?We will sail along the government,? DMK Parliamentary Party leader TR Ballu said.

DMK?s A Raja had quit as the Telecom minister over the 2G scam.

Earlier, the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said there are cracks in the UPA over a JPC and informed they will intensify the ongoing demand.

The BJP renewed its thrust after the postponement of an emergency meeting, called by the Congress to discuss the logjam in Parliament with its UPA allies on Monday night.

?The BJP will continue to push for a JPC probe into the 2G spectrum scam till the government gives in,? party spokesperson Tarun Vijay said.

Meanwhile, proceedings in both Houses of the Parliament were stalled for the 18th working day of the Winter Session as the Opposition remained unrelenting on its JPC demand, while the government refused to budge.