Chopper deal: BJP says JPC makes no sense as LS term ends in 2014

New Delhi: The BJP on Wednesday rejected the government's proposal for setting up a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the AgustaWestland chopper deal, saying the move was aimed at scuttling the probe as current Lok Sabha's term will end in 2014. "We will make our position clear in the Rajya Sabha. JPC is meaningless when there is one year left for Lok Sabha," stated Yashwant.

Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said that the party favours a serious and thorough probe into the Rs 3,600 crore tainted deal contract and wanted the investigation to be monitored by a court. The BJP is expected to raise the issue in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. The party is expected to raise three issues in the coming days - the AgustaWestland deal, the Ram Setu issue and the communal clashes in Assam.

The BJP has emphasised that a time-bound CBI probe monitored by the Supreme Court is needed on the issue. It has also demanded that the names of the recipients of the alleged kickbacks in the deal should be revealed.

At the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting on Wednesday morning, the main Opposition also decided to flag during the Budget Session the issues of Sethusamudram project and the violence against tribals in Assam. "We will raise the Ram Setu issue and the violence against tribals of Assam in both Houses of Parliament. BJP will not tolerate any tampering with the Ram Setu. If required, we will go for an agitation on it," BJP Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde said. The BJP has demanded that the government should abandon the Sethusamudram project as it would lead to cutting into mythological Ram Setu.