The meeting of the Joint Drafting Committee of the Lokpal Bill, scheduled to be held later on Tuesday, is expected to be a decisive one. But the representatives of civil society don't have any high hopes from this meeting.
In an apparent softening of stand, social activist Anna Hazare on Sunday said Parliament was supreme and would accept its decision if it rejects the Lokpal Bill. Hazare also showed some flexibility on the August 15 deadline he had set for passage of the Lokpal Bill by Parliament saying he was open to extending it if he found that the government was on the right path.
The Jan Lokpal Bill is likely to be approved by the Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday as its draft has almost been finalised by a panel headed by chief secretary.
In its critique of the Bill, the NCPRI said the appropriateness of 'The Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011' could well be determined by asking questions like whether the Lokpal is adequately independent, whether it is empowered to detect and investigate and prosecute corruption cases.
The deadline set by anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare for passing the Lokpal Bill is inching closer, but the government seems to be in no hurry. Sources in the government said that the Union Cabinet is unlikely to discuss the Lokpal Bill on Sunday.
The much-debated Lokpal Bill, which seeks to create an anti-corruption watchdog, is likely to come up for discussion and passage in the Rajya Sabha next week.
Uncertainty prevails over the much-talked about Lokpal Bill being brought up for consideration in the monsoon session of the Parliament beginning on August 8.
Indian Against Corruption led by Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal will undertake a survey on Jan Lokpal Bill in Uttar Pradesh seven districts, including Rae Bareli represented by Sonia Gandhi, and constituencies of members of Parliament who are on the standing committee scrutinising the measure.
Team Anna on Monday evening demanded that Lokpal Bill be passed by Parliament before the legislation on Food Security to ensure that the money spent on ensuring food for all reaches the deserved without any diversion of funds.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Lokpal Bill will meet in New Delhi on September 7 to decide its procedure to fast track the comprehensive exercise for formulating a strong legislation. It will kick off its work by hearing Central Bureau of Investigation director A P Singh and Central Vigilance Commissioner Pradeep Kumar who have been sent notices to appear before it.
Attacking the opposition for Rajya Sabha's failure to pass the Lokpal Bill, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal on Friday said the Bill will be taken up for consideration in the Budget Session of Parliament. "The conduct of the opposition, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Rajya Sabha, showed that they were only interested in not passing the Bill," he told a press conference the night after the House was adjourned sine die abruptly.
Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament Varun Gandhi, who proposed to move the Jan Lokpal Bill as a private member's bill, believes that as a parliamentarian this was the best way he could help Anna Hazare's movement.
"The civil society members on the joint drafting committee presented a document with respect to the objects of the bill as well as a document which enunciated the general principles underlying the bill," HRD Minister and government representative in the committee Kapil Sibal told media persons after the second meeting of the committee.
Government on Friday ruled out replacing its Lokpal Bill with another, saying it will be better to have amendments to the one already introduced.
All four formulations of the Lokpal Bill have a common feature that addresses a major obstacle to anti-corruption legislation. However, the four versions differ on several aspects.
Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Rajniti Prasad, who was seen tearing a copy of the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha, said on Friday there was no "match-fixing" between his party and the Congress to scuttle voting on the legislation and that he had reacted only on the "spur of the moment".
Making it clear that there will be no let-up in his crusade against corruption, Anna Hazare on Sunday asked people not to vote for MPs who have opposed the Jan Lokpal Bill in the next general elections and "gherao" their houses even as he announced to undertake a nationwide yatra including states where assembly polls are due.
The negotiations on a draft Lokpal Bill on Monday gained momentum with government and civil society members agreeing on a number of basic principles of the proposed law and deciding to meet more often.
Sources in the government have claimed that if most political leaders are in favour of withdrawing the government's Lokpal Bill -- at the all-party meeting scheduled to be held on Wednesday afternoon -- the government may agree to withdraw it. The all-party meet will be held on Wednesday at 3.30 pm at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's official residence at 7, Race Course road.
Activist Anna Hazare on Monday accused the Centre of not keeping its promise about passing the Jan Lokpal Bill and said he will sit on an indefinite hunger strike in his hometown Ralegan Sidhi from Tuesday for the passage of the anti-graft law in Parliament.
Union Minority Welfare Minister Salman Khursid, a key member of the joint drafting committee on the Lokpal Bill, on Monday defended the government's approach as 'sensitive and lenient' and said none could be above the existing parliamentary system.
Noted filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and eminent historian K N Panikkar have raised questions on Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement, accusing him of adopting an "authoritarian" approach in selecting civil society members in the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill.
Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley on Wednesday said that there is a need for a strong Lokpal Bill to deal with the menace of corruption.
The inclusion of the Lokayukta factor in the bill approved by the Cabinet is expected to become a sticky point in Parliament. Sheela Bhatt reports.
Backtracking on his Sunday's statement, Anna Hazare on Monday stuck to his August 15 deadline for passage of the Lokpal bill failing which he will resort to agitation.
Noted social worker Swami Agnivesh differed with Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejiriwal -- members of the civil society on the Lokpal Bill drafting panel -- that the talks with the government failed to yield substantial results.
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday questioned the Aam Aadmi Party -led Delhi government's "hasty" move to push for passage of Jan Lokpal Bill in the Assembly and said.
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.
Parliament on Wednesday passed the crucial Lokpal Bill with the Lok Sabha adopting the measure as amended by the Rajya Sabha after a short discussion, amid the din created by pro- and anti-Telangana members.
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.
Accusing the government of going back on its assurances to give a strong Lokpal Bill, anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare on Friday threatened to start another country-wide agitation to achieve his demand of a pro-people Jan Lokpal.
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 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.
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare said on Friday he will start a 'satyagraha' in New Delhi on the first day of winter session, for the passage of Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament.
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.
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.
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.
Alleging that Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress have joined hands to stall Jan Lokpal bill, Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday said its government would ensure passage of the proposed legislation in the assembly's special session without prior approval of the Centre.
The Lok Sabha is on Tuesday discussing on the much-talked-about Lokpal Bill.
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.
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