Amid demands from Team Anna, a move to take up a discussion today in the Lok Sabha on the Lokpal issue turned contentious with BJP-led NDA opposing the debate under a rule which does not entail voting, forcing adjournment of the House for an hour.
It has now been decided that the Parliament will sit on Saturday to discuss the Lokpal Bill and Anna Hazare.
As Deputy Speaker Kariya Munda declared that the House will take up the debate under Rule 193 (short duration discussion), BJP members were on their feet protesting the move demanding it should be done under a rule which provides for voting.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal as also Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal sought to counter them by asking what was BJP's stand.
"It is the BJP's duplicity. You say something inside and something outside," said Bansal, asking the opposition party whether it was not wanting a discussion on the Lokpal issue.
In the din, several members of the BJP, Shiv Sena and JD-U stormed the well. They were not pacified despite the Deputy Speaker telling the House that the Speaker had intimated earlier about a supplementary business being taken up in the afternoon.
BJP member Anurag Thakur who was among those who stormed the well was seen tearing up the order paper listing the supplementary business.
The din prompted the Deputy Speaker to adjourn the House for an hour. The BJP members continued to protest in spite of the adjournment with Kirti Azad heard remarking that the Government had earlier promised a debate under a rule which entails voting but has suddenly turned it into a general discussion.
After the adjournment, Bansal told reporters that the discussion on Lokpal issue seemed unlikely today and may be taken up tomorrow.
Sharp differences also broke out among Team Anna, government and the Opposition today over the wording of the resolution for the debate in both Houses of Parliament on various drafts of the Lokpal Bill.
The government, after overnight consultations and confabulations among its leaders, formulated a resolution which said:
"The document 'Jan Lokpal Bill' drafted by members of the civil society under the leadership of Anna Hazare as also the proposals by prominent civil society groups and eminent citizens for addressing issues of corruption".
However, when this was presented to Team Anna they did not agree to it and sent its own version of the resolution. It wanted government servants at all levels to be included and setting up Lokayuktas in states.
Team Anna's draft of the resolution states:
"The House resolves that a Lokpal Bill which will set up an independent Lokpal institution be enacted quickly to effectively deal with the prevailing rampant corruption in the country.
"The House further resolves that such law would cover all levels of government servants. Such law would also provide a framework for setting up of similar Lokayuktas in the states and would also include effective provisions for redressal of grievances which affect the common people in country."
The BJP resolution for the debate on Lokpal wants the Prime Minister to be included under the ambit of the ombudsman and an independent mechanism for his appointment.
The BJP resolution reads: '..... the House further resolves that such a law should have the widest coverage including the Prime Minister with the exception of his national security and public order functions, create an appointment mechanism for appointing Lokpals which may be independent of the government domination and provide for an independent and autonomous CBI.
'... the House again resolves that the appointments and accountability mechanism should be regulated by the National Judicial Commission in respect of the judiciary'.
The BJP resolution further states that such a law should cover all levels of the government servants and provide for a framework for setting up of Lokayuktas with similar powers in the states which would also provide for effective redressal of grievances of the common people.
It says due consideration should be given to the provisions contained in Article 105 (which provides immunity to an MP for his conduct inside Parliament) and Article 311 (which deals with rights of lower bureaucracy).