New Delhi:
Anna Hazare is well, eating again and back in his Maharashtra village. The monsoon session of Parliament, that saw his three major demands being approved, ends next week. So what happens next in the Lokpal Bill story?
The government's draft of the Lokpal Bill will either see substantial changes or there could be a brand new bill, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has told NDTV.
Mr Mukherjee led the government's team that negotiated with anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare during the latter's 13-day fast. He also was the one who hammered out a solution to the government's standoff with Team Anna, eventually leading into a day-long debate on Anna's must-have demands, which Parliament approved by a "sense of the House" last Saturday.
In an exclusive interview, Mr Mukherjee says with all the draft Bills - the government's, Anna's Jan Lokpal Bill and other versions in public domain - along with amendments sought now before the parliamentary standing committee, that panel of MPs will decide whether the government draft of the Lokpal Bill will see changes or whether there shall be an entirely new bill drafted taking inputs from the various draft bills. "We have accepted the will of a powerful movement, headed by a powerful leader (Anna Hazare). Now the bill which will come as recommended by the standing commitee, that will be the bill that we have to consider," Mr Mukherjee says.
Looking back at the dramatic Saturday, which saw several fast-paced twists and turns in the Lokpal tale, Pranab Mukherjee tells the government's side of the story. The veteran parliamentarian explains why there was no vote after the debate on Anna's three demands. "Most of the time, the sense of the House has never been voted (upon). The sense of the House is when we express happiness, say on the victory of the Indian cricket team...we all thump the table...when we express our solidarity with the people of a nation that has had a natural disaster, the Speaker mentions it...we do not put it to the motion...we thump the desk and approve. There are various ways of conveying Parliamentary approval."
Mr Mukherjee refuses comment on specific features like bringing the Prime Minister under the purview of the Lokpal, pleading that he cannot do so till the report of the Standing Committee is out, but does say that the PM's inclusion is one of six "major points" of difference between anti-corruption activists and the government.
(The full interview will be aired today at 10pm on NDTV 24/7)