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NEW DELHI: The BJP and Congress continue to attack each other over the Rafale jet deal with each party alleging how the other indulged in unwarranted favours to bring the deal home.
Why it matters: Parliament's productivity has been high in the last couple of sessions but that may change if Congress' demand for a JPC is backed by the other opposition parties.
In 2010, Parliament had witnessed its worst Winter session in history over opposition's (including BJP's), demand for a JPC after the CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation.
JPCs are set up by Parliament for a specific objective and a limited duration, with members from both the houses of Parliament (twice the number of members from Lok Sabha as from Rajya Sabha). The committee can take views of experts, public bodies, associations or individuals and function till they present their report to the Parliament.
In the past: Seven JPCs have been created in the past: on the Bofors issue (1987), Harshad Mehta scandal (1992), Ketan Parekh stock market scam (2001), pesticides in soft drinks (2003), 2G spectrum allocation (2011), AgustaWestland deal (2013) and land acquisition (2015). Most of the reports submitted by these JPC's have either been rejected or not been acted upon.
Problem with JPC: Apart from giving a handle to the opposition to drum up charges of corruption, BJP would also like to avoid what happened to PM Manmohan Singh. He was forced to appear before the JPC in 2011 in an embarrassment to the Congress. A similar situation for PM Modi will put BJP in a spot too.
The politics: The Congress has demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale deal. BJP says any such probe could "expose the country's defence preparedness to our enemies and opponents".
As the mudslinging between the two parties continues, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke, though indirectly. "The Congress are indulging in mud-slinging because they find it easier. They have indulged in mud-slinging earlier too. But I want to tell them, the more you throw mud at us, the more the lotus will bloom," he said in an indirect reference to the Rafale deal.
Why it matters: Parliament's productivity has been high in the last couple of sessions but that may change if Congress' demand for a JPC is backed by the other opposition parties.
In 2010, Parliament had witnessed its worst Winter session in history over opposition's (including BJP's), demand for a JPC after the CAG report on 2G spectrum allocation.
JPCs are set up by Parliament for a specific objective and a limited duration, with members from both the houses of Parliament (twice the number of members from Lok Sabha as from Rajya Sabha). The committee can take views of experts, public bodies, associations or individuals and function till they present their report to the Parliament.
In the past: Seven JPCs have been created in the past: on the Bofors issue (1987), Harshad Mehta scandal (1992), Ketan Parekh stock market scam (2001), pesticides in soft drinks (2003), 2G spectrum allocation (2011), AgustaWestland deal (2013) and land acquisition (2015). Most of the reports submitted by these JPC's have either been rejected or not been acted upon.
Problem with JPC: Apart from giving a handle to the opposition to drum up charges of corruption, BJP would also like to avoid what happened to PM Manmohan Singh. He was forced to appear before the JPC in 2011 in an embarrassment to the Congress. A similar situation for PM Modi will put BJP in a spot too.
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