Under pressure from the Opposition to set up a Joint Parliametary Committee (JPC) to probe the 2G spectrum scam,the Congress on Wednesday latched on to former telecom minister and senior BJP leader Arun Shouries suggestion that the Supreme Court should monitor the investigation and the demand for JPC was not right. Calling Shourie an eminent journalist,Congress spokesman Manish Tewari said the former telecom minister has possibly correctly pointed out that the SC-monitoried investigation into the issue should continue. Tewari said the matter is already under investigation by the CBI and CAG has given a report which goes to PAC as per the constitutional process. When two parallel and concurrent investigations are already going on,what purpose the third investigation would serve is something that BJP has not been able to answer, said Tewari. Talking to The Indian Express Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta on NDTV 24x7s Walk The Talk,Shourie had said that the demand for JPC is not the right demand at all. There is a record of JPCs. There was a JPC on Harshad Mehta. JPC on Bofors. What happened? Nothing happened, he said. He suggested that just like it did with the Gujarat riot cases,the SC should monitor the investigation in the case. What was needed,he said,was a swift investigation,trial and certain and severe punishment. On the Supreme Court observation over the delay in Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs response to a plea seeking prosecution of then telecom minister A Raja,Tewari said the apex court has asked a question and the government will give an appropriate response tomorrow.
