Lokpal Bill Introducd in Parliament

Lokpal Bill and Lokayukta bill in LS

The Govt on Thursday introduced the new version of the Lokpal bill in Lok Sabha after a lengthy debate during which almost all parties except the ruling one opposed the introduction of the bill in its current form.  The bill was moved in the house by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Narayansamy who seeks to create a public ombudsman to check corruption committed by public servants. The office of the Prime Minister is also within the ambit of the Lokpal but with certain safeguards. However, the CBI has been kept outside the control of Lokpal as against one of the main demands of social activist Anna Hazare, who has launched a strong campaign for creating institution of a strong Lokpal. The Congress top brass, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party chief Sonia Gandhi, met on Thursday ahead of the introduction of the new Lokpal Bill. The meeting of the Congress Core Group was held at a time when some parties like the RJD, SP and BSP protested against exclusion of minorities from the anti-graft bench of the proposed ombudsman. Besides Core group members like A K Antony and P Chidambaram, the meeting was also attended by Union Minister Kapil Sibal and Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh. Minister of State for Personnel V Narayanasamy tabled 'The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011' that also mandates the states to appoint a Lokayukta along with a Constitution (Amendment) Bill to provide Constitutional status for both Lokpal and Lokayuktas. Pranab Mukherjee said it was the Constitutional responsibility of the House to pass a law. After the Minister's reply to the impromptu debate, the House allowed introduction of the Lokpal Bill by voice vote. The government also withdrew the Lokpal bill introduced in August this year.