Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, left, and Congress party President Sonia Gandhi, right, attend a function to mark the 10th anniversary of the attack on the Indian parliament in New Delhi, India on Tuesday. (AP Photo)
New Delhi, December 14 (IANS): Stressing that the Lokpal bill would be passed in the winter session of parliament, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday said the government was “committed” to implementing in “letter and spirit” a good and effective ombudsman bill based on political consensus.
As Team Anna charged the government with not meeting its key demands, the prime minister also urged political parties to judge how far the recommendations of the standing committee had met the sense of parliament and how far the provisions of the draft bill are “feasible and efficacious”.
“The government is committed to implement in letter and spirit a good and effective Lokpal Bill that would have a quick and positive impact in further curbing the cancer of corruption without any adverse effects on the efficiency of our system of public administration,” he said at an all-party meet to discuss the Lokpal bill that aims to tackle corruption in society.
The all-party meet was called to evolve a consensus on the contentious bill after crusader Anna Hazare announced that he would launch an agitation again from Dec 27 for a strong Lokpal. In his address, the prime minister said that members from all political parties have been “invited” to the meeting to seek their “guidance and views” on the Bill.
“It is for this august group to indicate how far the recommendations of the standing committee meet the sense of the parliament and how far the various provisions are feasible and efficacious,” he added. “I am personally keen that this momentous legislation should be passed on the basis of consensus among all parties as far as possible and that this should not be subjected to party politics in any way. “This is an occasion where we must keep the interests of the country foremost in our minds. “The government is also keen that we must make all efforts to pass a Lokpal bill in this very session that is based on consensus and that is driven by parliament as the custodian of legislation,” he added.
He said a similar meet was held in Aug 24 when Hazare was fasting at Ramlila Maidan for a strong Lokpal. “Based on that discussion, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had made a statement on the same day in both the houses of parliament about the sense of the two Houses,” he added. Quoting his letter of Aug 27 to Hazare, he said that he had “requested him to end his fast.” “I had said that the parliament had agreed in principle on three matters,” he said, while listing Citizen’s Charter, inclusion of lower bureaucracy under the Lokpal through an appropriate mechanism and the establishment of Lokayukta in the states - as the three key demand of Hazare. “The sense of the houses and the records of discussions in parliament had then been conveyed to the standing committee for their guidance,” he added. He said the standing committee formed to examine the Lokpal bill has completed its deliberations.
Manmohan Singh praised the panel for completing its report in “record time”. “All of you would have seen the recommendations of the standing committee on the various issues and also the corresponding provisions of the draft bill tabled by the government earlier,” he added. The government had met its allies Tuesday and arrived on a “broad consensus” on the issue.
CBI, CVC chiefs meet PM on Lokpal bill
New Delhi, December 14 (IANS): Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director A.P. Singh and Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) Pradeep Kumar Wednesday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to express their concern about their autonomy being affected if the two agencies are brought under the Lokpal, sources said.
Asked whether there were any objections about the CBI investigation wing being under the proposed Lokpal, Singh said: “No”. Singh however said there were objections to dividing the agency as recommended by the report of the parliamentary standing committee on the Lokpal bill headed by Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi. The meeting with the prime minister came ahead of an all-party meet to arrive at a consensus on the Lokpal issue. The government had also held a meeting with its allies Tuesday and arrived at a “broad consensus”.
