Singhvi cites interest clash, says no to 2G JPC

NEW DELHI: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Singhvi on Monday opted out of the JPC on the 2G scam on the grounds that he appeared for a telecom company in court and before TDSAT. He was among the candidates whom the ruling party wanted on the joint panel.

Sources said Singhvi excused himself on the grounds of conflict of interest as Congress finalized its JPC candidates from the Upper House. Rajya Sabha is set to name its 10 MPs to serve on the panel which will have 20 members from Lok Sabha.

The decision came in the backdrop of Congress plans to object to the candidature of senior BJP members Yashwant Sinha and Jaswant Singh for conflict of interest. Congress sources said the former finance ministers headed the GoM in the NDA regime which took up the issue of extending mobile services to fixed telephony and the issue of Unified Access Service Licence.

A senior UPA minister said the ruling party may put the objections on record in the first meeting of JPC.