Siliguri:
On the continuing stalemate over 2G spectrum scam , Finance Minister and the Government's chief troubleshooter Pranab Mukherjee launched a scathing attack on the Opposition on Saturday.
Speaking at a rally in Siliguri in West Bengal, Mr Mukherjee said "If the Opposition does not have faith in Parliamentary democracy they should join the Maoists."
The Opposition has been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the 2G scam and didn't allow Parliament to function for a single day during the Winter Session.
"The total winter session of Parliament was lost." Mukherjee said at a rally in Siliguri.
Pointing out that the Centre had ordered an inquiry into the controversy as early as November 9 in 2009, he said "the demand for JPC is illogical. The JPC has no power to punish."
Meanwhile, as a reaction to Pranab's scathing remark, senior BJP leader and leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, shot back on social networking site Twitter writing "I am shocked to read the statement of Pranab Da... does the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee amount to not having faith in Parliamentary democracy and the Constitution? It is the Government that is making the Parliamentary institutions redundant... the truth is that Government has more faith in the Courts and the CBI."