New Delhi:
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has told an all-party meeting of Rajya Sabha members today to discuss the Lokpal Bill that his government is committed to an effective Lokpal.
Leaders of parties in Rajya Sabha including BJP's Arun Jaitley, BSP's S C Mishra, RJD's Ram Kripal Yadav, SP's Ram Gopal Yadav, NCP'S Tariq Anwar and CPI's A B Bardhan met at the Prime Minister's residence to discuss the controversial bill, to which 97 amendments have been moved by Opposition members in the Upper House.
"We look forward to benefitting from the wisdom and guidance of all leaders present here in the task that we have set for ourselves. Our government stands committed to an effective Lokpal legislation," a tweet from the Prime Minister's Office said ahead of the meeting.
Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, A K Antony and Salman Khurshid were among those present at the meeting.
Here is a look at where the parties stand on the Lokpal and other issues: While Trinamool Congress wants the deletion of Lokayukta provision in states, another UPA ally the DMK wants the states should be left to decide on the issue. The JD(U) wants CBI be made autonomous, and that a new Lokpal Bill should be brought in; the BJD is firm on the Prime Minister's inclusion in Lokpal. Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK support Lokpal provision, but not Lokayuktas.
The BJP has, however, slammed the government for not being sincere on Lokpal.
"They want to make a
sarkari Lokpal which is not a good attitude. If the government responds positively to our demands for amendment in the Bill, it will move forward otherwise it will remain stuck. We want the Lokpal Bill passed, but it's the Congress which is ensuring that the Lokpal doesn't see the light of the day because there are no real intentions to fight corruption on their part," BJP leader Prakash Javadekar told NDTV.
The Congress, meanwhile, said it's a commitment and that the government has all intentions to pass a strong Lokpal in this session of Parliament.
The bill, which was passed by Lok Sabha in the Winter Session last year, remained short of going through the procedures of passage in the Upper House at that time as the term of the session had expired.
Some of the amendments, the sources said, are for bringing the Prime Minister's Office under the Lokpal, seek exclusion of Lokayukta from the Bill, abolition of minority quota and inclusion of Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha as one of the members of the selection committee.
The government is keen on passing the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha even as the Opposition and social activist Anna Hazare and his team have renewed pressure on the issue.
"We look at it (the all-party meeting) as an opportunity before the Prime Minister that if he is really serious, he should withdraw the bill from Rajya Sabha and amend it, make it strong, effective and then present it before Parliament. But considering the attitude of the government, they doesn't seem really keen to counter corruption. So they are simply doing some formality in the name of all-party meeting," Team Anna member Manish Sisodia said.
Our agitation will go on till a strong Lokpal Bill is passed, he added.
Under the renewed effort, the government is planning to drop the clauses in the Lokpal Bill pertaining to setting up of Lokayuktas in states, a provision that faced stiff opposition from friends and foes alike.
A senior minister had said recently that the government was contemplating the move that would help clear the obstacles in the way of its easy passage in Parliament as also dismiss the opposition campaign that Congress was against the measure. The fresh consultation is aimed at ensuring that the anti-graft bill is passed in the first part of the Budget Session which ends on March 30.