Notwithstanding the prime minister's statement in Jammu on Friday that he would speak first in parliament on the supreme court verdict quashing appointment of P J Thomas as CVC, it will be V Narayanasamy, a junior minister in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), who will be making the statement in both the houses on Monday.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal told reporters that a decision has been taken to let the PMO minister of state give the clarification statement as his position qualifies him to speak on behalf of the PM.

He also disclosed that Kerala MP P C Chacko will be heading the 30-member Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) set up this week to probe the telecom licence allocations since 1998. Chacko pipped V Kishore Chandra Deo who was also in the reckoning for the chairmanship because the party felt the latter already had hands full as chairman of the most important parliamentary panel -- the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The government's strategy not to let Dr Manmohan Singh make the statement is to shield him from the attack that the Opposition is bound to mount if he speaks.

It may be, however, difficult for the government to justify Naraynasamy making a statement on the CVC's appointment as the Opposition will insist on the PM to take the stand and clarify since it was he who had, in tandem with Home Minister P Chidambaram, okayed selection of Thomas despite the dissenting note from BJP Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj, who was the third member of the high-powered committee for the selection.