Bringing Rahul Gandhi in the line of fire, Anna Hazare on Friday alleged that Congress might have taken a U-turn on contentious issues of lower bureaucracy and Central Bureau of Investigation in Lokpal under his instructions and claimed that the government was delaying resolution of Foreign Direct Investment (in retail) imbroglio to avoid passing Jan Lokpal Bill in the Winter Session of Parliament.
Consensus on the inclusion of the prime minister under the ambit of Lokpal eluded a Parliamentary panel scrutinising the bill even as it prepares to circulate a draft report of the recommendations to the members in the next few days.
Government has so far not carried out a full assessment of the personnel that will be required to staff the proposed institution of Lokpal, a Parliamentary panel has been informed.
Amid roiling controversy over Lokpal Bill drafting committee members, Union Minister Salman Khurshid on Saturday ruled out any changes in the panel and said the government is looking forward to receiving inputs from Justice Santosh Hegde on the bill.
The reason why corruption charges are designed to do reputation damage more than anything else is that such charges are rarely brought to closure, points out T N Ninan
Questioning the Bharatiya Janata Party's "silence" over Lokpal Bill, Congress on Friday accused the opposition party of "political opportunism" and dared it to spell out its stand on the demand for bringing the prime minister and higher judiciary under the ambit of Lokpal.
Union minister and a key member of the Lokpal bill drafting committee Kapil Sibal on Thursday said that Team Hazare's version of the legislation was unacceptable, as some of its provisions were against the basic tenets of the Constitution.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Venkiah Naidu on Thursday charged the United Progressive Alliance government of adopting 'double standards' over the Jan Lokpal Bill. Naidu said the party would meet in Delhi on Friday to decide its stand on the Bill ahead of an all party meeting called by the Centre on July 3.
Dismissing suggestions that Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's idea of giving constitutional status to Lokpal Bill was a delaying tactic by the Congress, the ruling party made it clear that it was for the collective wisdom of the Standing Committee and Parliament to accept the proposal.
Unhappy with the ultimatum set by Anna Hazare on the Jan Lokpal issue, a senior minister on Wednesday said the government is committed to bring a "strong and effective" Lokpal bill to deal with corruption but made it clear that this cannot be done by "putting a pistol on someone's neck".
Admitting that the government was in a "bind" from which it has to come out, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday night said that "practical and pragmatic" solutions have to be found to the Lokpal issue.
The Congress on Monday supported Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh's statements for a "reasoned debate" on the Lokpal Bill and that there is a "lot of scope for give and take" on the issue.
The Centre should talk to all political parties before arriving at a consensus on the Lokpal Bill, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said and stuck to her stand that it should be left to the states to set up Lokayauktas on models they choose.
Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday came out with its manifesto for the December 4 Delhi polls, promising to enact Jan Lokpal Bill in 15 days if voted to power.
With the Union Cabinet expected to take up the Lokpal Bill for consideration, the Congress on Sunday kept it fingers crossed on the passage of the legislation in Parliament.
As the Congress suffered a major blow in the elections to five states, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Tuesday claimed that the opposition to an effective Lokpal cost the party dearly and took a dig at its top leaders. In her tweets, Bedi said when the Congress started to use its power "to discredit" the anti-corruption movement, it put its own grassroot workers on the defensive. "Congress appeared to be suffering today," she said.
The Congress party, which seems to be short of the numbers to shepherd the Lokpal bill though the Rajya Sabha, is trying desperately to avoid voting on the bill in the upper house as the debate over the bill winds down in Parliament on Wednesday evening.
Democracies also need to be wary. They are not immune to public ire. Elected governments cannot remain complacent with the nominal trappings of a democracy or seek refuge in constitutional jargon but must conform to the spirit of the concept if they do not wish to be swept aside by the rising tide of public fury, says Vivek Gumaste.
Facing allegations of financial misconduct, activist Arvind Kejriwal broke his silence on Tuesday daring the government to conduct a probe against him and other Team Anna members even as he questioned the motive behind the "smear campaign".
The war against corruption needs to be a three pronged attack: one that addresses personal frailties, rectifies systemic defects and roots out faulty leadership, says Vivek Gumaste.
The Election Commission and the Law Ministry have joined hands to draw up a list of electoral reforms that seek to bar corrupt and criminal leaders from contesting polls, says Sheela Bhatt
According to former CBI director Joginder Singh, it would be meaningless to bring the agency under the ambit of the Lokpal, says Vicky Nanjappa
Ruling out the inclusion of judiciary under the ambit of Lokpal, a Parliamentary panel which scrutinised the measure, has recommended a revamp of the appointment process of judges of the Supreme Court and the high courts.
There are alternatives that are preferable to the octopus like Jan Lokpal being proposed. Extremism, whether the Gandhian excess of non-violence or obsession with environment at cost of everything else is dangerous in the long run, says Colonel Anil Athale (retd).
The government draft on the Lokpal Bill, which is expected to be considered by the Cabinet this week, does not include the prime minister in the purview of the ombudsman but the final call on the ticklish issue will be taken by Parliament and its Standing Committee. Disclosing this, Home Minister P Chidambaram said the Bill will be introduced in Parliament in the monsoon session starting on August 1.
The United Progressive Alliance government and Team Anna Hazare are finding it tough to walk a middle path on the proposed Lokpal Bill draft. Suggest five ways to resolve the stand-off
The Left parties on Monday announced a nationwide agitational programme to highlight issues relating to corruption and demand an effective Lokpal bill, with the Communist Party of India saying the Prime Minister and his office should be within the purview of the anti-corruption ombudsman.
Law Minister Salman Khurshid has favoured reaching out to the Opposition and the ruling coalition's allies on Lokpal and other issues and dismissed suggestions that Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee was a 'difficult customer'.
Right To Information activist Subhash Aggarwal is a pleased man today. After waiting for four months, his application, which appealed to make public the deliberations of the joint Lokpal drafting committee, has been finally heard on Sunday.
The Lokpal Bill is set to be put on the fast-track with the Parliamentary panel on Law taking it for examination from Friday by hearing views of Aruna Roy and Jaiprakash Narayan who have presented their own drafts.
As Parliamentary Standing Committee went back on some of its recommendations on Lokpal Bill, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi on Thursday night slammed it as an effort to make the ombdusman an "enquiry-pal" and said it confirms her remarks that politicians wear several masks.
Team Anna member N Santosh Hegde on Sunday saluted Parliament for rising to the occasion and giving its nod to key elements of Jan Lokpal Bill, but cautioned that people should "not expect a miracle" as enacting the legislation will "take its own time".
With uncertainty looming over the fate of the Lokpal Bill in Rajya Sabha, the United Progressive Alliance government on Thursday hoped that all allies will come around and help in its passage so that possibility of convening a Joint Session of Parliament does not arise.
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has criticised Team Anna for pressuring Parliament to get the Lokpal Bill passed. "More than a Lokpal, we need a hangman to execute Afzal Guru, convicted in Parliament attack case," the Sena chief said.
Talks on the Lokpal Bill are not progressing as expected and if the attitude of the government does not change it may spell disaster soon, said Prashant Bhushan, one of the five members of the Anna Hazare-led civil society group, who is on the drafting panel of the Bill.
Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi on Wednesday said that the debate on Lokpal Bill does not have any link with the Election Process as the model code of conduct does not apply to Parliament.
Hegde, a former Supreme Court judge known for his vigorous campaign against corruption, had on Friday said that former Chief Justice of India J S Verma, would be the most ideal person for the post.
Terming as "slow" the drafting of Lokpal Bill, joint panel co-chair Shanti Bhushan on expressed doubts over completion of the process by the deadline of June 30 and urged the government to communicate to the civil society its position on issues of divergence.
Seeking Opposition support for the Lokpal Bill, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla on Friday said in the Rajya Sabha that the intention of the government should not be questioned as it has brought a strong law.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has had a change of heart as far as Anna Hazare's campaign for the Jan Lokpal Bill is concerned. Singing the same tune as the anti-corruption crusader, Mayawati said on Tuesday that the prime minister, the Central Bureau of Investigation and all section of government employees should be brought under the ambit of the Lokpal.
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