Sonia holds strategy session ahead of process to institute JPC

With the formal process of constituting a JPC set to be put in motion on Tuesday, Congress President Sonia Gandhi held a strategy session with senior party leaders on the way ahead.

With the formal process of constituting a JPC set to be put in motion on Tuesday, Congress President Sonia Gandhi held a strategy session with senior party leaders on the way ahead.

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Gandhi held deliberations with senior Ministers Pranab Mukherjee, A K Antony and P Chidambaram at a time when search is on for a Chairman of the proposed JPC as also its members.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal and political secretary to Congress President Ahmed Patel were also present during the talks.

The names of senior leaders V Kishore Chandra Dev, P C Chacko and Girija Vyas are doing the rounds in Congress circles as head of the JPC to probe the 2G spectrum scam.

Government's thinking as of now appears to be restricting the JPC to 21 members but the opposition is pressing for making it a 30-member body.

While it may be a fact that as per rules only one Parliamentary Committee could look into an issue, but Government sources say that the work of the Public Accounts Comitteee would continue despite the setting up of the JPC.

"We are setting up the JPC to buy peace with the opposition so that Parliament runs smoothly", admitted a minister, who declined to be identified.

Parliament sources said that the resolution for the setting up of the JPC would be moved on Thursday by Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal. The JPC is expected to be asked to submit its report on the last date of the Monsoon session.

A section of the Congress suggests that there was a method in the "madness" for late acceptance of the JPC demand as the Government has ensured intensive investigations into the scam which has seen a former Cabinet Minister being sent to Tihar jail and the high and the mighty being questioned by probe agencies.

"If JPC had been set up early, then it would have taken all the credit for all these acts," said a Congress leader adding that the proposed body has now precious little to do and the months ahead could see some confusion due to the parallel investigations.