The Hindu : National : Lokpal Bill: ‘no precedent for a joint committee'

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National

Lokpal Bill: ‘no precedent for a joint committee'

Smita Gupta

New Delhi: The pressure on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to enact the Lokpal Bill to check corruption by public servants is mounting, 42 years after another government first attempted to create such a law, as civil society representatives and the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) have joined hands to push for the early enactment of a tough law.

On April 3, the National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) in association with the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library is organising a day-long consultation on the Lokpal Bill; on April 4, the NAC's Working Group on Transparency and Accountability will meet other civil society groups to examine the various versions of the Lokpal Bill — from the government draft to the Jan Lokpal Bill (drafted by civil society activists) – with a view to producing its own draft.

Giving an edge to these efforts is veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare's threat to go on an indefinite hunger strike from April 5 if the government does not accept a far tougher version of the Lokpal Bill than the one it is currently contemplating.

On Monday, a ministerial Sub-Committee of the Group of Ministers on Corruption told a group of civil society activists that while it was prepared to consider all the suggestions in the Jan Lok Pal Bill, there was no precedent for a joint committee — consisting equally of government and civil society representatives — to prepare a draft law. It suggested that the civil society members go through the government draft, clause by clause, and make recommendations, after which there could be another meeting, possibly after the assembly elections. .

The sub-committee also said the government was planning to bring in a law in the monsoon session to take away the discretionary powers of all Ministers as well as to ensure that prompt action was taken against all Ministers and bureaucrats, who had been indicted, civil society representatives said. However, on the subject of the Lokpal Bill, the sub-committee, these sources said, was not prepared to give any time frame.

The meeting between the ministerial sub-committee — consisting of Defence Minister A.K. Antony, Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, Union Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily and MoS in the Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanswamy — and the civil society representatives comes in the wake of a suggestion that had been made by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on March 7, when activists led by Mr Hazare belonging to the “India Against Corruption” initiative met him and gave him a copy of their draft Bill.

The Prime Minister then said that a sub-committee of the GOM on corruption could interact and discuss the draft with the civil society activists. On that occasion, the Prime Minister requested Mr. Hazare not to carry out his threat to go on a fast.

Assures activist

He reportedly assured the activists that consultations would begin before April 5 — hence the meeting on March 28.

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