New Delhi:
In an exclusive interview to NDTV, BJP President Nitin Gadkari has said his party is still to decide whether it will attend Sunday's meeting on the controversial Lokpal Bill. The meeting has been called by the government to gather feedback from opposition parties on the Bill, which is meant to combat corruption among politicians and bureaucrats.
Speaking to NDTV's Barkha Dutt, Mr Gadkari said that "The NDA will meet and take a decision on whether to attend the all-party meeting." He said that the government should have reached out to include the Opposition when it set up a committee to draft the Bill. "The UPA wants us to attend the all-party meeting because now it needs our help," he said.
The drafting committee for the Bill included five ministers and five non-elected representatives led by Gandhian Anna Hazare. Both sides have been unable to agree on most major features of the Lokpal Bill, including whether it should cover the Prime Minister's Office. The BJP has so far not indicated its stand on this. The government wants the PM to be exempt; the activists say this defeats one of the main purposes of the Bill of checking corruption at all levels of government. Asked why the BJP had not spelt out its own position, Mr. Gadkari said, " We are yet to take a decision on this. Our committee is studying the proposals and will respond in Parliament"
Mr Gadkari did, however, agree with the Cabinet's recent decision on excluding the CBI from the Right to Information Act like the government. The BJP feels, he said, that the CBI covers issues of great sensitivity and security and the details of its investigations should not be publicly revealed.
On his recent war of words with the Congress over Sonia Gandhi, he said, "She is not my enemy. If she invites me for tea. I will go and meet her. But I don't regret what I said."
Mr Gadkari had recently said that Mrs Gandhi's determination to fight corruption can be compared to Pakistan stating it's committed to fighting terror. "Sonia Gandhi says she will fight corruption. It is like Pakistan saying they will fight terrorism. Will anyone believe this?," Mr Gadkari had said.