Opp. stands united with strong Lokpal Bill call

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Senior BJP leaders Arun Jaitley (from left), Sushma Swaraj and L.K. Advani attend an all-party meeting on the Lokpal bill

The Opposition stuck to a united stand in the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to put the onus on the government to bring a strong and effective Lokpal bill in Parliament.
Echoing a strong anti-civil society stand, the Samajwadi Party asked the government not to “lower the dignity of the Parliament”, while the BJP spelt out the roadmap for the proposed Lokpal Bill, which should be tabled in the Monsoon Session and then referred to the standing committee and then it be passed in the Winter Session.
Ignoring the deadline of the social activist Anna Hazare for passing the Lokpal Bill by August 15, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said: “The government should first bring a formal draft anti-graft bill in the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, which should be referred to the standing committee, which will solicit views of all stakeholdres and then it be passed in the Winter Session of the Parliament.”
She, however, made it clear that the government should not draw inference that her party has concurrence on its existing version of the bill. “We will discuss the details of the Lokpal Bill in the Parliament only,” she added.
However, the SP, which is extending outside support to the UPA, expressed strong disapproval of the government engaging with the civil society in preparing the Lokpal Bill.
“We are not going to discuss anything which the government brings on the table by talking to people on the street (civil society). The government should not lower the dignity of the Parliament,” said the Rajya Sabha MP of the SP. Mohan Singh.
The JD(U) also echoed the strong anti-civil society sentiment of the SP, with the party chief Sharad Yadav saying that few people talking about the Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by the social activists does not make a difference and the government should table a strong and effective anti-graft legislative proposal in the Parliament.
However, smaller parties like the Indian National Lok Dal and Assom Gan Parishad spelt out their details on the major issues, with both favouring inclusion of the Prime Minister and the MPs’ conduct in the House in the ambit of the Lokpal.