The DMK’s Vasanthi Stanley and the Congress’s P. Bhattacharya (West Bengal), both Rajya Sabha members, are likely to be the new members on the 30-member Joint Parliamentary Committee probing the 2G scam.
A resolution in this regard is likely to be moved in the Upper House in the next few days.
The new members are replacements in two vacancies, which arose after E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan (Congress) quit the JPC when he joined the Union Cabinet and Tiruchi Siva’s (DMK) term in the Rajya Sabha ended a few days ago.
As there are a few more formalities to go through — the Rajya Sabha has to return the motion with the names of the new JPC members to the Lok Sabha, and after that, with the approval of the Lower House, the Speaker has to issue a formal bulletin — there could be further delay in convening the JPC by its Chairman P.C. Chacko, informed sources said.
There would be no surprise if the final report of the JPC was delayed till the winter session, they added.
Moreover, as the JPC’s term expires on September 6 (last day of the monsoon session), another resolution will have to be adopted by Parliament for extending its term.
The JPC was constituted on March 4, 2012, with 20 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha, after the Opposition parties demanded the same.
The committee is examining the telecom policies of the NDA and UPA governments and allocation of spectrum made between 1998 and 2008.
