The Shiv Sena has turned down ally Bharatiya Janata Party's offer of a seat in the Joint Parliamentary Committee on 2G Spectrum scam as a multi-national company owned by one of its Rajya Sabha members is allegedly a beneficiary of the contract, sources said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G spectrum scam along with those of Commonwealth Games projects and Adarsh Housing society are neither correct nor timely, Communist Party of India said on Saturday.
Communist Party of India - Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat on Sunday stated that the Left parties would not compromise on the demand for a joint parliamentary committee probe into the 2G spectrum scam.The CPI-M leader underlined the urgent need for an alternative economic policy as the people were reeling under scorching prices for the 'wrong policies adopted by the United Progressive Alliance'.
The 2G spectrum scam may have caused a colossal loss to the national exchequer, but the standoff between the government and opposition over it has resulted in the further wastage of over Rs 146 crore as the entire Winter Session of the Parliament was virtually washed out.
Anguished over the stalemate in Parliament over demand of Joint Parliamentary Committee into 2G Spectrum scam, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Friday said she would "do anything" to ensure that it does not spill over to the budget session.
The Opposition and government may be slugging it out over the losses caused to the national exchequer due to the 2G spectrum allocation but their stand-off has resulted in wastage of over Rs 95 crore on account of Parliament not functioning for the last 15 days.
The 2010 winter session is set to go down in the history of the Parliament as one and the first one which did not deliberate even a minute. It is likely to be adjourned sine die.
It also cautioned that if the legislation is passed, the "two crutches" on which the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government is running at the Centre would not be able to escape responsibility.
The motion has already been approved by the Lok Sabha.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the NCP may have its view but 19 like-minded Opposition parties are convinced that the "PM-linked Adani Group" issue is real and very serious.
The central bank has advised banks and financial institutions to 'seriously and promptly consider initiating criminal action against willful defaulters, wherever necessary, based on facts and circumstances of each case."
The government said on Thursday that it was committed to demutualisation and corporatisation of stock exchanges to prevent recurrence of securities scams.
Department of Company Affairs on Wednesday said it has set up a five-member Task Force to initiate action within six months on the recommendations of the report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the stock market scam in 2001.
Lambasting the government for multiplicity of laws and regulations on food safety standards, the Joint Parliamentary Committee report on pesticide residues in soft drinks has asked it to quickly finalise the draft Modern Integrated Food Law.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet in the National Herald case, accusing Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi of a "criminal conspiracy" to "usurp" properties worth Rs 2,000 crore of its public company AJL by transferring 99 per cent shares for just Rs 50 lakh to their private company Young Indian. The ED has named Sonia Gandhi as accused no 1 and Rahul Gandhi as accused no 2 in the chargesheet, which was filed under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Pepsi and Coca-Cola India have been asked to depose before the joint parliamentary committee probing pesticide allegations in beverages on December 16 and 17, respectively.
The Samajwadi Party is going all out against the Congress, drawing parallels to the Watergate scandal.
Jayalalithaa also said that in her letter to a newspaper on Saturday, she had pointed out that Left parties did not invite her party to take part in a protest rally in Delhi against India's joint naval exercises with other nations, including the US.
Coca-Cola India has written a letter to the joint parliamentary committee, probing allegations of pesticides in beverages, seeking permission to depose before it.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday rejected the Opposition's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into both the IPL controversy and the phone-tapping issue, on the ground that it was not needed. "JPC for what? This is not a fit case for JPC," Dr Singh said when asked about the Opposition's demand for a JPC into the phone-tapping allegation. He said Home Minister P Chidambaram had explained the phone-tapping allegations in Parliament.
The Congress Working Committee, the highest decision making body of the grand old party, passed a resolution to this effect. The CWC, chaired by Sonia Gandhi earlier discussed the issue along with that of the farmers' agitation and the COVID-19 vaccination drive and passed three resolutions on each of them.
The opposition leaders are expected to meet at Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge's office in the Parliament complex around 10 am, sources said.
The Himachal Pradesh government's Excise and Taxation Department inspected an Adani Group company, scrutinising records and checking the stock at the Adani Wilmar warehouse in Parwanoo, officials said on Thursday. The officials were apparently investigating possible GST violations by the company, a 50:50 joint venture between the Adani conglomerate and Singapore-based Wilmar. The inspection on Wednesday evening in the Congress-run state comes at a time when the group finds itself in the middle of a political row at the Centre, triggered by a scathing report by US-based Hindenburg Research.
SS Randhawa mentioned Modi's statement 'ghar me ghus ke marenge' and asked how did the Pulwama terror attack take place then.
The government's support is there for Air India, (but) it comes with a condition, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.
There is a proposal from the BJP camp that they would resort to a proportion-based increase in the number of Lok Sabha seats for individual states, based on what they now have. On the face of it, this sounds like a fine argument that those demanding a 'freeze' now cannot oppose without reasons and justification, avers N Sathiya Moorthy.
The Congress on Tuesday claimed the bill on holding simultaneous polls was against federalism and 'anti-constitutional', and said the voting at its introduction stage in Lok Sabha showed the Bharatiya Janata Party lacks the two-thirds majority required to pass a constitutional amendment.
In Lok Sabha, Deputy Leader V K Malhotra demanded the suspension of Question Hour as soon as the House met for the day.
The Centre for Science and Environment which alleged that soft drinks brands in India contain high levels of pesticides, is scheduled to make a detailed presentation before the Joint Parliamentary Committee which may meet on October 9 and 10.
Chennai-based DSQ Software may earn the dubious distinction of becoming the first company to be referred to the newly-created Serious Frauds Investigation Office for its role in the securities scam, sources said on Tuesday.
As prime minister, Dr Singh is obviously more worried about growth, inflation and rural jobs
Gandhi also said such controversies seem to play out every time his party raises concerns of "crony capitalism".
The Joint Parliamentary Committee, probing the 2001 stock market scam and the UTI fiasco tabled its report in the Parliament.
Concerned over several violations by overseas corporate bodies including misuse of Indo-Mauritius double taxation avoidance treaty, the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which probed the securities scam has highlighted the absence of regulation.
Rejecting the Opposition demand for a JPC probe into demat share scam, the Government Tuesday said SEBI was examining the matter and strictest possible action would be taken against those involved in the irregularities.