After refusing to concede the Opposition’s demand for a joint parliamentary committee on the 2G spectrum allocation controversy, government managers are expected to talk to the Opposition on Monday to break the logjam in Parliament.
The government and Opposition have so far stayed firm on their stated positions. But if they fail to break the stalemate, the government might then find itself forced to curtail the Winter Session, which began on November 9.
Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, who is Leader of the Lok Sabha, will hold another round of talks with the Opposition in a renewed attempt to break the parliamentary logjam over the telecom scam. This was reportedly decided at a Congress core group meeting at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence on Sunday night, which was also attended by party president Sonia Gandhi. The others present were Mr Mukherjee, home minister P. Chidambaram and defence minister A.K. Antony.
Mr Mukherjee had earlier called an all-party meeting to end the impasse. He later briefed the Prime Minister at a meeting of senior party leaders. Now he will have to get back to the Opposition.
The core group met in the backdrop of political developments in Karnataka, where BJP chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s departure appears to be imminent over the controversy over land deals.