The Trinamool Congress, which has six members in the Rajya Sabha, said it will "strongly" oppose the provision and want the deletion of Part III of The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011, which deals with setting up of Lokayuktas at the state level. "We have already submitted our amendments. We are going to press for it," Mukul Roy, Trinamool leader and minister of state for shipping, told reporters in New Delhi.
Aruna Roy, prominent member of civil society, chairman of the National Campaign for People's Right to Information, and an alternative voice in the ongoing debate on the Lokpal Bill, speaks to Rediff.com
Gandhian Anna Hazare on Sunday brushed aside Baba Ramdev's criticism on inclusion of father-son duo Shanti and Prashant Bhushan in Lokpal Bill drafting committee and virtually ruled out any change in the nominees, saying the focus is on having an effective anti-graft measure.
With the threat of Anna Hazare's agitation looming large, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called an all-party meeting next week to evolve a broad consensus on the Lokpal Bill and ensure its passage during the current session of Parliament that ends on December 22. Before the all-party meeting, the United Progressive Alliance allies will hold confabulations among themselves on December 13 to devise a common strategy and speak in one voice in Parliament.
Two days ahead of Anna Hazare's fast for a strong Lokpal Bill, his team today stepped up attack on government questioning the "credibility" of the Standing Committee report on the issue saying it has only the support of 12 members.
Asserting that she will fight for the passage of the Lokpal bill in Parliament, a combative Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday hit out at the Opposition for "obstructionist" tactics and Team Anna for "deliberate and malicious" criticism of the government.
Talks between the government and Anna Hazare-led civil society failed to make any headway on Wednesday and the two sides have agreed to meet again on June 20 and 21 to bridge "strong divergence" of opinion.
After the all party meeting on Wednesday, the Union cabinet is likely to meet either on Sunday or Monday morning to clear the bill after which it will be placed before the house, possibly by December 20, reports Renu Mittal.
Government on Monday released audio tapes of proceedings of the joint drafting committee meetings on Lokpal Bill that brings out sharp differences that had always marked the relationship between Team Anna and Union ministers on issues like inclusion of prime minister and the judiciary under its ambit.
Aiming at devising a strategy for passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament, the two-day meeting of the core committee of Team Anna began in Ralegan Siddhi on Saturday.
The Parliamentary Panel going into the Lokpal Bill will take a call on the issue of inclusion of Prime Minister in the anti-corruption watchdog at its meeting this week, its chairman Abhishek Sighvi said on Sunday.
The letters by Hazare and Gandhi were released by the All India Congress Committee on Tuesday, on a day the Bill was slated to come up for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha.
Civil society led by Anna Hazare on Monday hit back at the government over the charge that it was undermining Parliament and Constitution and asked why an "honest" man like Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is "scared" of being investigated by the Lokpal.
The Parliamentary committee examining the Lokpal Bill has sought one more week to submit its report on the subject.
Team Anna is reaching out to the members of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Lokpal Bill to ensure that their concerns are addressed in the recommendations they will be sending.
A wasted exercise, a total flop show and not to mention a total failure: This is how Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santhosh Hegde, member of the Lokpal Bill drafting panel, described the final outcome following the last meeting of the committee with the government.
A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Naveen Sinha, while referring to an earlier judgment of the apex court, said, "We are holding that it is a workable piece of legislation and it is not justifiable to keep this pending."
Kejriwal spoke exclusively to rediff.com's Sheela Bhatt and was making his final position clear. Before the third round of agitation against corruption begins in the last week of December read the logic and passion behind it in this the first of a two-part series.
It is time for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take the debate on the Jan Lokpal Bill to the people through the media as well as through direct interactions with the people during tours across the country, observes B Raman
Enactment of key legislations like strengthening of anti-rape laws, land acquisition bill and Lokpal bill is likely to be delayed with some Opposition parties objecting to the present form of the proposed measures.
In an apparent answer to crusader Anna Hazare's team mobilising the masses suffering corruption of the lower level bureaucracy, the government has quietly kicked of drafting of a Bill for creating a mechanism for the public services grievance redressal.
Law mnister M Veerappa Moily on Tuesday said it is possible for the government to meet the August 15 deadline set by social activist Anna Hazare for passage of the Lokpal bill in Parliament if all cooperate. "Yes, it is possible to meet the August 15 deadline, provided if all cooperated", Moily told mediapersons before leaving for Delhi.
The social activist said that his team will begin a new movement beginning around New Year.
The first meeting of the newly-constituted joint committee comprising ministers and civil society activists to draft the Lokpal Bill will be held on Saturday.
Not satisfied with the Lokpal bill passed by the Parliament today, Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav said the bill was not in the form as asked for and the political class would continue to "rule the Lokpal".
A landmark bill for creation of Lokpal was passed by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday night with the government making it clear that setting up of Lokayuktas by the states would not be mandatory, amending a contentious provision in view of opposition from allies and others.
Arvind Kejriwal's most awaited Lokpal bill may remain just a poll promise. The proposed Lokpal cannot exercise any police power, say advocate Vishwanath Chaturvedi.
Anna Hazare on Sunday warned the government of breaking his vow of not undertaking fasts if it fails to pass a strong Lokpal Bill before 2014 elections and alleged that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had "cheated" him on the issue.
Hardening his stand on the passage of two key bills, Arvind Kejriwal on Monday renewed his threat to quit, saying he was ready to sacrifice the chief minister's post a "thousand times" to ensure "swaraj" and give power to the common people.
Hitting out at the government on the "useless" Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare on Thursday challenged Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to a public debate on it to convince people that the proposed legislation is strong.
A day after talks on Lokpal Bill failed, activist Anna Hazare on Thursday accused the government of having no intention of enacting a strong anti-corruption law and said he will undertake an indefinite fast from August 16 if a diluted legislation is introduced.
Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday held Bharatiya Janata Party responsible for the defeat of Constitution Amendment Bill on Lokpal.
A Parliamentary panel examining the Lokpal bill may recommend that the proposed anti-corruption watchdog be a single window stop for probing all corruption complaints against government functionaries by ending multiplicity of investigating agencies to investigate graft cases.
Activist Aruna Roy on Thursday night questioned political parties for raising objections to the provision of setting up of Lokayuktas in the Lokpal Bill, saying they did not oppose such a move earlier.
People from all walks of life took to the streets in Bihar to express their support for activist Anna Hazare and his demand for the Jan Lokpal Bill.
Anna Hazare on Thursday threatened to go on hunger strike from August 16 alleging "backtracking" on Lokpal bill but the government refused to yield, saying it cannot allow creation of a "parallel" structure.
Hazare, who reached Mumbai on Monday night from his village Ralegan Siddhi, paid respects at Mahatma Gandhi's statue in Juhu before proceeding to the fast venue, MMRDA ground, in suburban Bandra in a rally.
Following is the test of the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan SIngh's opening remarks at the all party meet on the Lokpal bill:
As leaders in both the BJP and Congress concede, neither has within their parties a leader to match Arvind Kejriwal's charisma in Delhi.
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