NEW DELHI, July 22: The department of telecommunications (DoT) is likely to keep the VSNL-BT joint venture proposal in the backburner with the United Front steering committee slated to take it up at its next meeting.

The negotiation route adopted in the making of the proposal has come in for criticism from various quarters. The issue will figure prominently in Parliament in the monsoon session beginning on Wednesday as well.

At least two members of the UF steering committee - Sitaram Yechury (CPM) and Amar Singh (Samajwadi Party) - have asked for discussions on the issue before the department puts its stamp of approval on the proposal.

In a major development, two senior BJP leaders Murali Manohar Joshi and Satish Chandra Agarwal are seeking a debate on the venture in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively.

Continuing his campaign against the joint venture, SJP spokesman Amar Singh had sent a letter to UF steering committee chairman Deve Gowda. Amar Singh had, in his letter, said, "you have been consistently talking about transparency and a corruption free government. This onerous task is not yet finished. I am giving you the details (of the proposal) so that we can discuss it thoroughly at the UF committee".

In support of his contention, Singh has cited 11 points from a memorandum he had received from a voluntary organisation. A similar letter has also been sent to SJP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav with a copy of a letter Singh had last month submitted to communications minister Beni Prasad Verma. In the letter to Mulayam Singh, Amar Singh had said that by approving the venture, VSNL monopoly of international traffic would be broken. It was in national interest that VSNL-BT joint venture proposal is discussed at the steering committee before final approval.

With the CPM also throwing its weight behind Amar Singh's demand, it has become clear that the venture will get into rough weather at the meet. Sources close to Deve Gowda confirmed that he had received the representations and it would be placed before the committee. This move is likely to delay a decision by the department so long as it is cleared by the United Front apex body. The BJP leaders, on the other hand, are equally keen on embarrassing the UF by painting it anti-PSU. Joshi said VSNL had not been able to explain the economic rational for rushing into the proposal. He said national interests could not be ignored while giving a green signal to such ventures.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.