Nksagar-Sagar Media Inc: new delhi : 16 June 2011:
PM's post may be brought under Lokpal with clearly carved out exceptions; no decision taken, it is open to discussion, says Chidambaram.
#The Public debate on new anti-graft ombudsman is in public domain with civil society members unhappy for their desire to make this Ombudsman law a very powerful structure to take care of corruption at national levels with proper tool of authority from Local self government to National level along with inbuilt authorities to investigate the complaint and gross misuse of power but the government in the name of parliament and constitution wants to shed anti-graft ombudsman with limited powers making it feeble authority to deal with corruption with government appointees and a body with ten members at national level to deal with rampant corruption of the nation.Another moot point,shall be members of this anti-graft ombudsman body in case if they represent mostly from the legislature,bureaucrats,judiciary without professional and social activist the law too will fall flat.On matters which may be of debated nature once the body comes into existence,provision of the Public referendum according to its area of influence for those subject must be provided in the provision of this Ombudsman law as in parliament, the voting is ultimate for getting to powers and decsions.
PTI reports,anti-graft activist accusing the UPA of "playing tricks" with the people of the country, Anna Hazare today questioned the rationale behind sending two versions of Lokpal Bill to the Cabinet for consideration.Hazare said he would have to restart the protest at Jantar Mantar if a "weak" anti-corruption legislation is cleared by the government, which he alleged was going back on its promises.
A day after the "deadlocked" meeting of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, the Gandhian said, "If you want to have two drafts, then what was the need for setting up a joint committee?"They (government) have wasted our time. We had our draft ready earlier and they too had theirs. They why did they not bring this to the Cabinet earlier. The government is playing tricks," Hazare alleged.
#Team Anna after seven meetings with the government,civil society members said that the government "wants to kill the Lokpal Bill before it was born".Further added "They want to create a Lokpal without any administrative or investigative machinery an emaciated and disempowered Lokpal." Mr Hazare, trying to push the government for a strong ombudsman having powers to investigate corruption charges against the prime ministers, senior judges and MPs, bureaucrats,#among others.
#Kapil Sibal, briefing reporters said that the two sides "will prepare a draft on the issues on which we think there is divergence and we will try and arrive at a consensus".He said that if there was no consensus, "both the versions [of the civil society and the government] of the bill would be sent to the cabinet" for a final decision.
#Corruption rooted down endemic in the Indian system cost trillions of rupees and threatened to derail growth and its effect is visible with reports on manufacturing sector,industry unimpressive growth this years is cause of concern to nation.
Official Media reports that- The 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, meanwhile the Government and civil society were on Wednesday deadlocked on the Lokpal Bill.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, Law Minister Veerappa Moily, who is also the convener of the joint Lokpal drafting committee, said if the representatives from both the sides fail to iron out differences during the next meeting on 20th June, then their respective views would be sent to the Cabinet.
“But there will be no two drafts,” he said, contradicting civil society representative Arvind Kejriwal’s statement on Wednesday that two separate drafts one prepared by the Government representatives and the other by civil society members would be sent to the Cabinet.Accusing the civil society representatives of “changing their demands”, Moily said “it will not help. We have to confine ourselves to the mandate of a joint drafting committee.”
He said the government has agreed to 34 out of 40 principles laid down by the civil society for a strong Lokpal Bill.Moily also said that there is no final word yet on the inclusion of the Prime Minister in the anti-corruption legislation.“My intention is not to hurt sentiments of people including both from the civil society and the BJP. They are obstructing UPA’s war against corruption,” he said.Moily said claims of some members of the civil society of differences in large areas "falls flat on ground as out of 40 principles laid down by the civil society, we have convergence on 34."
He said the Joint Drafting Committee has been mandated with preparing a legislation and not amending the Constitution."We had asked the members (of the civil society) whether they wanted to amend the Constitution. They said they wanted a legislation...only one member supported a constitutional amendment," Moily said.
He claimed that the committee cannot suggest issues like inclusion of judiciary, conduct of Members of Parliament inside Parliament and summary dismissal of government servants which entailed constitutional amendments.These issues and the inclusion of the Prime Minister under the ambit of Lokpal are the key issues on which the government and the civil society continue to have differences.
To a question on the threat of Gandhian Anna Hazare to go on a fast again, Moily said: "Nobody can prevent anybody in a democratic country to go on a fast. But for what? "For government having agreed to form a joint committee (on Lokpal), government having agreed to having a dialogue (with the civil society). That means he appears to be predetermined to go on a fast despite this...That is not democratic reflection on democratic expression on the part of the citizen of this country."
Moily also indicated a lack of transparency on part of the Hazare-led civil society in seeking public opinion on Lokpal Bill."After every meeting they go out on campaign to get views of others.The civil society members produce something out of their pocket. On the other hand we (government) have put agenda and other related documents on our website," he said.
Asserting that government was in favour of finalising the draft bill by 30th June, he said it was the "genuine and honest intention" to introduce the bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament."We have not changed our mind," he said seeking Hazare camp's "cooperation".He said the draft bill has to be referred to various ministries for consultation before it comes up before the Cabinet.In Parliament, after introduction, the bill has to go to the Standing Committee for further scrutiny, he said.
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