Triggering a war of words, the main Opposition BJP on Friday said it was “seriously considering” the possibility of bringing a privilege motion against telecom minister Kapil Sibal for announcing a probe into the 2G spectrum allocation at a time when Parliament is in session.
The party had rejected the one-man panel set up by the telecom ministry to probe the alleged 2G allocation scam. The Congress, meanwhile, termed the BJP’s objection “black humour” and alleged that the saffron party did not allow Parliament to function as it was responsible for the alleged scam.
Speaking on the issue, Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said: “Our Lok Sabha colleagues are seriously examining the possibility (to move a privilege motion). The motion can be brought in the House of which the minister is a member.” Mr Sibal had on Thursday announced appointment of a one-man committee to probe the alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G spectrum since 2001, a period involving the NDA regime.
Earlier during the day, senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi had said that the manner in which Mr Sibal made the announcement “is highly objectionable and may invite privilege”.
“The general practice is not to make any policy announcement outside the House when Parliament is in session,” Dr Joshi said.
Accusing the BJP of being responsible for the scam, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: “The BJP seems to have become a specialist in black humour. These people are talking about the propriety of Parliament when they have not allowed it to function for the last 21 days.” Mr Tewari said when Parliament was not allowed to function for the last 21 days by the Opposition, then “where is Kapil Sibal going to announce the formation of the inquiry committee.” He was reacting to Dr Joshi’s statement that the general practice was not to make any policy announcement outside the House when Parliament is in session and the minister’s step was highly objectionable.