New Delhi: A fresh confrontation appears to be building up over the Lokpal Bill with Team Anna expressing its disappointment with the recommendations in the draft report of the Standing Committee. Last night, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi told PTI that going back on the commitment given by Parliament would lead to a mass movement again.
Anna Hazare's deadline for the Lokpal Bill is fast approaching. Members of Team Anna have already begun ground work for another protest at Ramlila Maidan from December 27 in case the anti-corruption legislation is not passed in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament.
The draft report has sought to keep the lower bureaucracy out of the ambit of the ombudsman. Anna and his core group believe that an ombudsman that cannot investigate junior bureaucrats will be ineffective in eliminating corruption from the common man's daily life.
The draft has also recommended keeping out the judiciary and the conduct of MPs in Parliament out of its purview and has rejected the demand for hiving off the prosecution wing of CBI and bringing it under the Lokpal's jurisdiction.
(Final Lokpal draft to exclude PM?)The draft report of the Standing Committee also suggests that there is "near consensus" on the exclusion of the Prime Minister from the Lokpal's purview.
The Bill is being prepared by a parliamentary committee which has 31 members from different parties and is headed by Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The committee is scheduled to have one final meeting on November 30.
Last week, Team Anna had reminded the government that the anti-corruption crusader had suspended his fast in August on the basis of a resolution passed by Parliament which was termed as a 'Sense of House' by some people but was referred to as a 'resolution' by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his letter to the Gandhian.
On the exclusion of the judiciary, Ms Bedi said that it was a setback to people's demands as "people overwhelmingly wanted judiciary in. By this corruption in judiciary is covered nowhere, neither in Judicial Accountability Bill nor in Lokpal."
She said if the prosecution wing of CBI does not come under the Lokpal's jurisdiction, the country will never see the decline and successful expeditious prosecution of the high and mighty.
Reacting to members unanimously recommending conferring constitutional status on the Lokpal, Bedi said, "This may become the reason for not having it. For the government in power does not have a two thirds majority in Parliament. It will be used to not pass the bill."
However, she welcomed the proposal to bring corporates, media and NGOs under the ambit of Lokpal, saying they needed to know the exact provisions.
Anna Hazare has threatened to intensify his stir and campaign against corruption in states like Uttar Pradesh which go to polls in the next few months if the Centre fails to pass the Lokpal Bill bill in the ongoing Winter Session.
The Gandhian's epic hunger strike in August led to a historic debate on corruption in Parliament which ended with parties agreeing to consider his team's vision of the Lokpal Bill.
(With inputs from PTI)