The Hindu : National : No views now on Lokpal Bill, Gadkari tells Pranab

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No views now on Lokpal Bill, Gadkari tells Pranab

Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI: Civil society members on the Lokpal Bill drafting committee are “not decision-makers but suggestion-givers,” and at this stage the Bharatiya Janata Party does not deem it appropriate to give its views on the proposed bill, BJP president Nitin Gadkari has informed committee chairman Pranab Mukherkjee.

Responding to Mr. Mukherjee's May 31 letter, asking the BJP to give its view on six issues concerning the draft bill, Mr. Gadkari, in a letter dated June 2, faulted the government for not involving any political party not part of the ruling coalition in the consultation process. The views of the stakeholders and interested groups (meaning civil society members) “must be placed in Parliament” to allow political parties to take a final view.

Mr. Gadkari said it was less than fair to expect parties to give their views at a short notice, pointing out that the BJP was given less than a week to send its response. And “to expect political parties to give their views to a drafting committee for acceptance or rejection would be upsetting constitutional propriety.”

He made it plain that the BJP would give its view only after the committee finalised its proposals and before the bill was introduced in Parliament. The government had contacted the main Opposition party only after differences cropped up between the Ministers on the committee and the civil society representatives on some crucial issues. In short, Mr. Gadkari criticised the government for being expedient instead of taking the proper constitutional route.

On earlier occasions too, senior BJP leaders had said there would be no need for the BJP to give its views before firm proposals were placed before it. It was the government's job to make a proposal; only then would the Opposition party say whether or not it agreed with it.

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