This refers to A K Bhattacharya's article "Not so parliamentary" (Raisina Hill, April 22). The instrument of Joint Parliamentary Committees (JPCs), by definition, does not seem to be effective anymore. It pertains to the way a JPC is constituted - it represents different political parties in proportion to their members of Parliament. This means the ruling combine can always manage to have its way because of its majority. Maybe, in the early days after Independence, this could have worked because the politics was not so competitive, and there were still many leaders of stature and moral standards present. But that is not the case anymore. So, it may be worthwhile to consider constituting a JPC where parties that may have conflicts of interest recuse themselves. This will ensure a fairer enquiry.
Kishor Kulkarni Mumbai
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