The Jan Lokpal bill drafted by Team Anna has been sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office V. Narayansamy told the Rajya Sabha Wednesday.
He made the announcement during a debate on corruption in the upper house of parliament.
Activist Anna Hazare, fasting for nine days against the government’s Lokpal bill – currently being examined by the standing committee – has been stressing that the government introduce and pass the Jan Lokpal bill by Aug 30.
Team Anna’s bill proposes to bring the office of the prime minister, judiciary and the lower bureacracy under the Lokpal in cases related to corruption. The official Lokpal bill, which has already been moved in the Lok sabha, does not have these provisions as the government does not want an overbearing institution without any accountability, sources on the treasury benches said.
The government sending the Jan Lokpal bill to the standing committee means that further consultations on the issue would be held to arrive at a final legislation incorporating all the aspects, these sources said.
A Congress MP from Uttar Pradesh had submitted Team Hazare’s bill to the standing committee, while the National Campaign for People’s Right to Information had also submitted their version of the Lokpal bill to the panel. BJP Lok Sabha member Varun Gandhi too said he would present the Jan Lokpal bill as a private member’s bill in the lower house of parliament.
This step should have been taken earlier before start of fast. The people sitting in the chair given by the public can no longer fool his own masters.