UPA calls emergency meeting over Parl logjam

New Delhi : As the Parliament logjam continued for the 17th consecutive day, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has called an emergency meeting of its partners here on Monday evening to find ways to break the deadlock.

According to reports, at the meeting, scheduled to take place at Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee?s residence, Congress will try to ensure support of its major allies Trinamool Congress (TMC), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK).

Proceedings in both Houses of Parliament were stalled for the 17th successive working day on Monday as the Opposition remained unrelenting on its demand for a JPC probe into the 2G Spectrum scam.

As the Winter Session of the Parliament entered its fifth and last week, no solution to the impasse over the Opposition?s JPC demand and the government?s firm denial of allowing a JPC was in sight.

The Opposition members, led by BJP and AIADMK MPs, in Lok Sabha stormed the well of the House when it met for the day and raised slogans demanding a JPC probe into the 2G scam.

The ruling Congress MPs too took to their feet and protested the demolition of the Babri Masjid on this day in 1992.

Speaker Meira Kumar urged the MPs to let the House function but as the protests continued, the Lok Sabha was adjourned for noon and then finally for the day when similar scenes were repeated when it reassembled.

Similar protests by the Opposition and counter-attacks by the ruling party MPs were witnessed in the Rajya Sabha also, which was also adjourned after mourning the death of 88-year-old sitting Janata Dal (Secular) member M. Rajasekara Murthy.

The Opposition parties have been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the 2G Spectrum allocation scam, but the government has rejected the demand.

A Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report had held former Telecom Minister A Raja ?personally responsible? for costing the national exchequer a loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore through ?illogical? sale of 2G telecom spectrum in 2008.