One may wonder about the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) when even the Congress knows it will have more BJP than opposition members. Tactically, would the move mean much? During the UPA era, both the JPCs set up to look into the 2G scam and Augusta Westland deal had given a clean hit to former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh. So, why the JPC demand then? The answer — obstinacy.
In a JPC probe, the parliamentary committee can call any official or leader to question. During the JPC probe on 2G, the high point for the BJP then was the fact that Manmohan Singh was summoned by the committee. Close to elections, it’s purely optics that any opposition party would want to use to its advantage. And this is exactly what the Congress is looking at. As a result, while many opposition parties are not too insistent on a JPC — some like Trinamool Congress are now pushing for a court-monitored probe — the Congress wants to take sweet revenge.
Congress veteran Jairam Ramesh recently asked: “If the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha says Parliament is supreme, then why not a JPC? All opposition parties are on the same page as far as JPC is considered.”
However, this is not really the case. When News18 spoke to some parties like the TMC, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal and even DMK, they said they would be happy with any probe. “It’s Congress’ wish mostly because Rahul Gandhi can’t get over the Bofors attacks on his father,” some said.
So, is the JPC demand likely to peter out by the time the House reconvenes on March 13? I would not be surprised. It’s a known fact that many within the Congress are not too excited with the demand and painting Prime Minister Narendra Modi as corrupt — a move that has boomeranged in the past. But then if Rahul Gandhi has set his heart on taking revenge, not much can be done, a party leader tells me.
The other big issue is of ‘hungama’ inside the House and comments being expunged. This is a double-edged sword — While it’s a setback for the Congress in the sense that the archives will not show up the speeches of Rahul Gandhi and other senior leaders, on the other hand, Rahul Gandhi is using this to bolster his contention that the government is dictatorial.
By doing so, Rahul Gandhi hopes to erase the deep criticism of his grandmother’s Emergency memory. But the question is — should long-term impact not be the decisive factor while planning a strategy? Or should one man’s anger and desire for payback be the yardstick?
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