BJP wants PM, CBI, lower bureaucracy under Lokpal
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The BJP on Sunday accused a parliamentary panel of "breaking the promise" of bringing a strong anti-graft Lokpal law and demanded that the Prime Minister, the CBI and the lower bureaucracy be brought under the purview of a proposed ombudsman.
"We demand everybody who is in the government should come under the purview of Lokpal. We oppose the Prime Minister's non-inclusion in the Lokpal bill," Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said.
The BJP leader was addressing a debate on the proposed Lokpal Bill organised by Anna Hazare's team on the sidelines of the social activist's daylong hunger strike. Hazare is on daylong token fast at Jantar Mantar, pressing for a strong anti-graft Lokpal bill that would bring the Prime Minister, the CBI and lower bureaucracy completely under its ambit.
Mr Jaitley almost sided with Mr Hazare's demands and said having the prime minister accountable to the Lokpal after he or she leaves office was "not acceptable".
The Parliamentary Standing Committee tabled its report on the Lokpal Bill, recommending constitutional status for the ombudsman but leaving undecided the issue of Prime Minister's inclusion in its purview.
Mr Jaitley said the nation needed a strong Lokpal to curb the roots of corruption in India and accused the parliamentary panel of not including the sense of Parliament as recorded in a resolution passed during Mr Hazare's August hungerstrike.
"The very basic principles of having a strong Lokpal should not be tampered with. Including lower bureaucracy and citizens' charter in Lokpal was the sense of the House. We can differ on mechanism but not on the basic principle," he said.
"It is breaking the promise you had given to the nation, to Parliament," he said, adding the selection of top CBI officials should also be left with the Lokpal.
The BJP leader, however, differed with Team Anna's proposal of having judiciary under the purview of Lokpal and instead backed the creation of a national judicial commission.
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