Back to school, say MPs on 2G scam JPC

It was back to school for many MPs in the Joint Parliamentary Committee which on Wednesday began examining the alleged irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

New Delhi: It was back to school for many
MPs in the Joint Parliamentary Committee which on Wednesday began
examining the alleged irregularities in the 2G spectrum
allocation scam.

The second meeting of the JPC, chaired by Congress leader
PC Chacko, turned into a virtual classroom as members were
briefed by officials of the Department of Telecom on basic
issues like what is spectrum, the different technologies
involved and how are signals amplified for use in telephony.

"It was back to school," a young Member of Parliament
quipped after the first session on the technical and
scientific dimension of the concept of radio frequency
spectrum and its allocation.

A veteran Rajya Sabha MP also spoke in similar vein when
asked about the meeting of the JPC.

The meeting took place in a cordial atmosphere as matters
related to the continuance of BJP members Yashwant Sinha and
Jaswant Singh -- the then Union Cabinet ministers who were
part of decision-making in telecom sector between 1998-2008.

"This matter has already been settled by the Speaker in
her letter to the JPC," a member said.

The JPC was set up through a Parliamentary resolution
after a persistent demand by the Opposition for a thorough
probe into the 2G spectrum scam which is believed to have
caused a presumptive loss of Rs 1.76 lakh crore to the
exchequer.

The constitution of the JPC also saw a brief turf war
between Chacko and BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, who heads
the Public Accounts Committee, which also examined the 2G
spectrum allocation.

Chacko and Joshi took their battle to the office of
Speaker Meira Kumar, who asked both the Committees to work in
close cooperation and harmony with each other.

PTI

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