Pranab Mukherjee’s lunch diplomacy fails to soften opposition

Discussions at the lunch hosted today by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee for political leaders failed to come to a solution on how to end the daily disruption of Parliament during the ongoing winter session over the nature of the probe in the 2G spectrum scam, even as the BJP parliamentary party announced that it would pursue its demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the ongoing scams, including the Adarsh Housing Society and Commonwealth Games scams.

Both houses of Parliament were adjourned soon after noon for the fourth day running, though the government made efforts to break the impasse over a JPC probe.

Earlier in Parliament, members cutting across party lines trooped to the well as soon as it began business, intensifying their demand for a JPC probe into the alleged scam in the 2-G spectrum allocation, and raised various other issues.

Soon after house marshals announced the entry of speaker Meira Kumar in the Lok Sabha, BJP members stormed the well raising slogans for a JPC. They were joined by Shiv Sena and AIADMK members. Samajwadi Party and BJD MPs were also seen in the well raising slogans in support of a JPC.