Nothing short of JPC probe into 2G scam acceptable: SAD

Shiromani Akali Dal on Monday said nothing short of a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe is acceptable to the Opposition in the 2G Spectrum scam and accused Congress of trying to "bury" the issue by suggesting a CBI investigation into it.

Shiromani Akali Dal today said nothing short of a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe is acceptable to the Opposition in the 2G Spectrum scam and accused Congress of trying to "bury" the issue by suggesting a CBI investigation into it.

HT Image

"The Congress' suggestion of handing over the inquiry into the 2G Spectrum scam to CBI is not acceptable to any opposition party," SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal had committed a breach of privilege of Parliament by rejecting demands for a JPC probe into the scam, the Punjab Deputy Chief Minister said at a party meeting here.

Badal said, "Congress wants to hide the real beneficiaries of this tainted money and is insisting on a CBI probe, as it has a history of pressurising the probe agency to get clean chit (in controversial cases), as they procured (for Tytler) in the 84' riots case."

He also expressed surprise over the statement of newly-appointed Telecommunication Minister Kapil Sibal that the department has started to "reassess the actual loss in the 2G scam as the loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crores was presumptive loss".

"The Congress is hell-bent to brush this scam under the carpet to save its skin and all these exercises are being carried out to create a smokescreen to hide the real beneficiaries of the scam," he said.