Bansal says no move to adjourn Parliament

We are ready for any discussion on the issue on the floor of the House.

Even though no solution is in sight over the continuing face-off between the government and the Opposition over the latters demand for constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the 2G spectrum scam,something that has resulted in complete disruption of both Houses of Parliament for the past nine days,Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal on Wednesday asserted that the government was not considering the possibility of adjourning Parliament sine die.

Speaking to The Indian Express,Bansal,who has been part of the efforts made by the UPA government to break the logjam,said,There is no question (of adjourning Parliament). This possibility has not even been discussed so far. We are ready for any discussion on the issue on the floor of the House. We are still hopeful that the Opposition will be ready for a discussion on the matter. We owe that to the people of this country to transact business in Parliament.

Bansal was responding to a question whether the government was toying with the idea of adjourning Parliament sine die and hope for the Opposition to allow proceedings to take place at a later date.

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Talking about the Opposition demand for a JPC to probe the 2G scam,the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said the Opposition could always raise the demand during a debate in the House.

Why do we need the JPC? Parliamentary parties or their representatives cant be investigating agencies in a matter that is already being probed by the CBI and is also in the Supreme Court. But,having said that,let me clarify that this government has nothing to hide. We have been requesting the Opposition to end the disruptions and discuss the issue inside the House. If anybody is not satisfied with the government response,nothing stops him or her from seeking a JPC. Now,what is happening is that the Opposition is not allowing the House to even begin transacting any business. They sometimes dont even allow presiding officers to take their chairs, Bansal said.

Asked why the government was shying away from accepting the demand for a JPC probe,Bansal said,Where is the question of shying away? The Public Accounts Committee (PAC),which is headed by an opposition MP,is already looking into the matter.

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