Sticking to her stand that the States should have the final say on the issue of setting up of Lokyauktas according to their own models, the West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, on Monday said that the Centre should talk to all political parties for a consensus on the Lokpal Bill.
She however, reiterated that her party's opposition to the Bill has nothing to do with Trinamool's partnership with Congress in UPA-II at the Centre.
The Trinamool Congress with 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha is the second largest party in the coalition.
“We think that the Lokpal legislation should be made on the basis of consensus and that the Centre should talk to all parties in this regard. Let the Centre leave Lokayukta issue to States,” Ms. Banerjee told reporters at Writers' Buildings today.
She said that when her party MPs raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, they were told by the Government that suitable amendments would be brought in to accommodate the Trinamool Congress' views on the Lokayuktas.
“When the Bill came, we found that the Bill left the option open to the States to set up Lokayuktas, but on the model determined by the Centre.” Why impose the Central model on the States in a federal structure, she wondered. This was the reason for Trinamool bringing in amendments to the Bill in the Rajya Sabha while it had voted for it at the Lok Sabha, she said.
‘Not in Favour of Toppling UPA –II'
While maintaining that she was not in favour of withdrawing support to the UPA, Ms Banerjee, however, said that she would continue to “speak on issues affecting the common man.”
Ms Banerjee had earlier been vocal in her opposition to FDI in retail as well as a hike in petrol prices.
“We have raised objections on some policies of the central government like entry of foreign direct investment in the retail sector. Nearly 50 crore people are associated with the retail sector,” she said, adding that their livelihoods would be affected if the entry of foreign capital in the retail sector was allowed.