2G scam: BJP ends JPC boycott, to attend meeting today

New Delhi: After abstaining twice including a much hyped walkout, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will attend the Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting on the 2G probe on Thursday. The BJP, which has six members on the panel, had stayed away from the last two meetings demanding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram be asked to depose before the panel.

The BJP is likely to keep up pressure on the panel to call on Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram. BJP General Secretary Dharmendra Pradhan said, "The party has decided to attend the meeting. We will put forth our demand again. After former telecom secretary Chandrashekhar's deposition, our primary demand is that the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister should be called to depose before the JPC."

This came even as JPC Chairman PC Chacko on Wednesday ruled out calling the Prime Minister for deposition. The UPA is in a minority in the present JPC.

The BJP is likely to keep up pressure on the panel to call on Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram to depose.

BJP members had stormed out of the meetings of JPC on August 22 and September 18, charging panel chief PC Chacko with being biased and accusing Congress members of using foul language. The six BJP members in JPC had asked Chacko to take a final decision on calling Singh and Chidambaram before the Committee. But Chacko has maintained that he would not take a decision on the issue using his discretionary powers and would leave it to the wisdom of committee members.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)