Government has no solution for 2G scam deadlock: Pranab

The government today said it has no solution for the current deadlock over the 2G spectrum scandal but would, however, keep Parliament, which remained adjourned for a 10th day, open.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee today admitted that the government was still grappling with the problem of finding a solution to the standoff with the opposition that has left Parliament paralysed since it opened on 9 November for the winter session.

Despite persistent opposition demand, the government has so far refused to agree to a probe by a joint parliamentary committee - a panel consisting of members of both the ruling and opposition parties in Parliament - into the allegations of corruption in the allocation of radio spectrum for second-generation telecom services.

The government said it would keep Parliament running till 13 December, the scheduled length of the winter session, although no business will be transacted during the entire session. But it would in no case agree to opposition demand for a joint parliamentary probe.

"The government will run the House everyday till 13 December," NDTV quoted parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Bansal as saying.

The ruling Congress, on the other hand, tried to deflect the blame on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance saying that part of the blame should go to the NDA's 'no-tariff' policy for the telecom sector.

"We are unable to understand the excessive noise being made by the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance. Does the opposition coalition not remember that it was during the premiership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee that the no-tariff policy for the telecom sector had come into being", AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh told reporters in New Delhi.

Opposition protests over the 2007-08 sale of limited radio spectrum for second generation telecom services that the CAG report says resulted in a loss of over Rs1,76,000 crore to the exchequer leading to the resignation of telecom minister A Raja (See: 'Spectrum' Raja in deeper trouble after CAG indictment), and continues to stall functioning of both the Houses of Parliament since 9 November.