Want JPC probe into 2G scam: Murli Manohar Joshi

After reports of a rift between Murli Manohar Joshi and his party over 2G scam investigations, the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader on Thursday clarified that he was “fully committed” to the clamour for a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe.

The clash was implied after Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj had questioned the authority of the Joshi-led Public Accounts Committee?s (PAC) probe into the telecom scandal.

Swaraj’s snipe had come following Joshi’s statement that the PAC probe could be extended to his party-led National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) tenure.

In an apparent move to smoothen ruffled feathers, Joshi issued a statement on Thursday voicing his commitment to his party’s official stand.

“As a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, I stand fully committed to the demand for the formation a Joint Parliamentary Committee to look into the broader questions related to corruption facing the country today,” he said.

The statement is believed to be the after-effect of a meeting between BJP president Nitin Gadkari and Joshi on Wednesday night.

Joshi has said that PAC will look into the matters of public spending based on the Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) reports which had blamed former telecom minister A Raja of masterminding a spectrum allocation scandal that cost the country Rs 1.76 lakh crore.

“As the Chairman of the PAC, I believe in the Committee’s vast powers in bringing greater accountability to public spending. I commit myself to playing this role effectively,” he said.

But as a member of the BJP he stood behind the party’s decision to demand for a JPC probe into the mammoth swindle, Joshi added.