Refusing to yield to Anna Hazare's demand, the government has kept CBI out of the control of Lokpal and decided not to hive off the Directorate of Prosecution from the investigative agency.
Amid the standoff with Team Anna over the Lokpal Bill, the government has convened an all-party meeting tomorrow to find a way to solve the issue. Leaders of all political parties have been invited to attend the meet scheduled for 3.30 pm on Wednesday.
Government on Thursday ruled out sending two drafts of Lokpal bill to the Union Cabinet in the wake of strong differences with the civil society which it accused of 'obstructing' the fight against corruption.
Terming the Lokpal Bill approved by the Union Cabinet as an "eyewash", rights activist Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said it will "patronise" corruption and should be withdrawn. "The Bill approved by the Cabinet is to patronise corruption and an eyewash and it should be withdrawn. It betrays the aspirations and expectations of people fighting against corruption," Kejriwal told reporters.The government, he said, seemed to be in the "grip of the corrupt."
The government will wait and see what the majority of MPs and political parties have to say once the bill comes to the floor for discussion. Renu Mittal reports.
The President's approval was required for the measure since the Lok Sabha made some amendments to The Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011 before its passage.
The new Lokpal Bill was introduced by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal in Lok Sabha on Thursday after an hour-long acrimonious debate among members of various political parties.
Karnataka Lokayukta and a member of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee Santosh Hegde on Saturday said he was apprehensive about the final outcome of the proposed bill as it could be a watered down version of what was originally envisaged.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati has refused to respond to the questionnaire on provisions of the Lokpal Bill, saying that seeking opinion of her party before tabling the bill in the Lok Sabha was contradictory to Parliamentary traditions.
The records of the debate are expected to be sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee examining the Lokpal Bill
Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley elaborates on why he thinks the final government draft of the Lokbal Bill is a flawed one.
"Had we not been confident, we would not have introduced it," he told reporters while entering Parliament just ahead of the consideration of the crucial bill by the Lok Sabha.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader L K Advani on Tuesday said he welcomed the anti-corruption movements of Anna Hazare and Ramdev, but noted that Parliament has the sole authority to enact legislations, including the anti-corruption law.
Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Thursday feared that the Lokpal Bill may go the Women's Reservation Bill's way as those in power are comfortable with status quo.
A day after social activist Anna Hazare launched his fast-unto-death on the Lokpal Bill issue, government on Wednesday said it was open to any suggestion on the proposed legislation and had not turned down his demand for a joint committee.
In a total anti-climax, the Rajya Sabha on Thursday adjourned abruptly without passing the Lokpal Bill in the midst of uproar after government sought more time for considering enormous number of amendments.
Congress on Wednesday hailed party Vice-President Rahul Gandhi's "key role" in the passage of the historic Lokpal Bill, which was cleared by Parliament, while asserting that it was committed to bringing in an anti-corruption code in the country.
The Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress members of Legislative Assembly on Friday disrupted proceedings in the Delhi assembly demanding tabling of the Lt Governor's communication to the Speaker against the introduction of Jan Lokpal Bill in the House without Centre's clearance.
The contentious anti-corruption Lokpal bill will come up for discussion next month in Parliament after the ongoing one-month recess of the budget session, Union Minister V Narayanasamy said on Sunday.
Meetings of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal bill slated for June 20 and 21 would be a mere formality with little scope for discussion, Karnataka Lokayukta and a member of the panel Santosh Hegde said on Thursday.
On the eve of the maiden meeting of the 10-member joint committee on Saturday to draft the Lokpal bill, government on Friday said it has an open mind on the issue.
In a bid to build pressure on the Parliamentary Standing Committee, Anna Hazare has decided to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi if the panel does not come up with strong recommendations on Lokpal Bill.
Members of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha on Saturday debated and discussed the issue of the Jan Lokpal bill, for which activist Anna Hazare has been on a hunger strike since the last 12 days.
The Delhi cabinet on Friday decided to call a special session of the assembly to take up the Jan Lokpal Bill that seeks to punish corrupt officials on February 16 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium instead of the historic Ramlila ground as announced by ruling Aam Aadmi Party earlier.
An all party meeting to seek views across the political spectrum on the issue of inclusion of the prime minister under the Lokpal Bill is likely to be held in the first week of next month.
Delhi assembly on Friday passed the Janlokpal Bill, incorporating suggestions of Anna Hazare, which provides for an ombudsman with powers to act against any government functionary.
As the government prepares to bring the Lokpal Bill to the Cabinet, social activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday pitched for a strong version of the law to be presented for the consideration of Parliament.
Delhi Chief Minister-designate Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday promised to bring Jan Lokpal Bill in 15 days and termed the rule as "wrong" which makes it mandatory for a state to seek the Centre's nod to pass a law.
The government on Thursday amended the controversial Lokpal Bill, de-inking it from the setting up of Lokayuktas in the states and transferring powers of sanction of prosecution against public servant to the ombudsman. The Union Cabinet accepted 14 of the 16 recommendations made by the Rajya Sabha Select Committee, which was set up in May last year amid sharp differences among political parties, because of which the legislation has been stuck in the Upper House.
The Lokpal Bill will come up in Rajya Sabha on Friday and is a "priority" for the government, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath said on Thursday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday spurned Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's request for inputs on the proposed Lokpal Bill, arguing it would not be proper for a political party to submit its views to a drafting committee comprising civil society members as it would upset constitutional propriety.
The Delhi government is likely to extend the ongoing Winter Session to allow passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill which was cleared by the cabinet earlier this week.
'The CBI and its independence was discussed in great detail. We invited and sought the views of the CBI director as well as several government officials. But the ingenious solution to the problem came from within the committee. The effort was to somehow find a solution. It would not have been possible to draft this Bill if members had not been liberal in their views and if they had not been prepared to rid themselves of their political bias.' Congress MP Satyavrat Chaturvedi, who headed the Parliamentary committee which proposed the recommendations for the Lokpal Bill, speaks to Anita Katyal in an exclusive interview.
Calling corruption a "plague", Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the government was committed to eradicating it and hoped that the opposition will help in passage of anti-graft measures including Lokpal.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday targeted the United Progressive Alliance government over delay in bringing Lokpal Bill before the Rajya Sabha as the winter session is inching towards its end and demanded a reply.
The ministers' draft of the Lokpal Bill has to be judged on the criteria whether it can subserve the object sought to be achieved, writes Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha) Arun Jaitley.
The government is learnt to have deleted the term 'minorities' from the Lokpal Bill with regard to the provision of having 50 per cent quota in the Lokpal bench and the Search Committee.
On the eve of consideration of Lokpal Bill by the Rajya Sabha, Trinamool Congress on Wednesday mounted difficulties on the government by giving notice for amendment to the crucial legislation in which it wants references to formation of Lokayuktas to be dropped.
Unhappy over content of the new Lokpal Bill, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday said it would move amendments on issues such as inclusion of the Central Bureau of Investigation and against reservation for minorities, when the proposed legislation comes up for consideration and passing in Parliament on Tuesday.
The new Lokpal Bill was on Thursday at the centre of a fresh controversy before its introduction in the Lok Sabha, with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen members protesting exclusion of minorities from the anti-graft bench of the proposed ombudsman.
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