BJP gets Ram Jethmalani shocker after PAC jolt

The Congress seems to have triggered a minor feud in the BJP by introducing the PAC vs JPC dimension into the 2G spectrum scam debate. With the main opposition speaking in different voices, the party now sees hope of an end to the logjam in Parliament over the issue.

The BJP, which is already in a sticky situation after its senior leader and public accounts committee (PAC) chairman MM Joshi announced his intention to go beyond the findings of the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) on the 2G spectrum scam, had more egg on its face after its MP and legal luminary Ram Jethmalani offered to take up the case of human rights activist Binayak Sen.

While Joshi’s position goes against that of the party, which has been insisting on a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probe into the 2G scam, Jethmalani’s move goes against the BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh government’s action against the activist. Sen, a Maoist sympathiser, was recently sentenced to life imprisonment for sedition by a Chhattisgarh court.

Unable to come to terms with Joshi’s stance, the BJP has been trying to convince him not to create a JPC vs PAC divide that could derail the NDA’s future political agenda. Sources in the party admitted that some senior party leaders had already conveyed the party’s sentiment to Joshi.

“One thing is clear. The party’s rank and file who have been preparing for a political battle against the Congress-led UPA on corruption are angry with him,” the sources said.

The presence of another senior BJP leader — Yashwant Sinha — in the PAC is also not going down well with the party’s top bosses.

Asked if Sinha’s presence would act as a balancing factor, the sources said he was in a “different league” but were at a loss to explain how the things would unfold in the PAC despite his presence.

The party is visibly rattled by Joshi’s open-ended stand on the issue of prime minister Manmohan Singh’s offer to appear before the PAC. The signs of confusion were visible when BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy rejected the PM’s offer while maintaining a studied silence on Joshi.

The Congress, which has been under sustained attack of the BJP, seems happy with the confusion it has managed to create. “Basically, this is an internal matter of the BJP. Maybe the BJP has a tradition of being uncomfortable with the person it appoints as the PAC chairman. First they had problems with Jaswant Singh, and now it is Joshi. But for us anyone who is the PAC chairman is worthy of respect,” said Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed.

But party veterans do not visualise any immediate breakthrough after the all-party meeting. “The budget session is still a long way off, the process could begin, and then the tension could ease,” observed a senior MP.

While Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar has convened an all-party meeting to end the deadlock ahead of the budget session, senior Congress leaders do not visualise any immediate breakthrough.

“The budget session is still a long way off,” observed a senior MP.
Even as the BJP is fire-fighting on this front, Jethmalani’s offer to take up Sen’s bail case has put it in a mess. While party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy tried to deflect the issue, other senior leaders rued the fact that the lawyer was brought back to the party despite strong opposition.