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The Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill became the first to be passed in the ongoing Winter Session with the Rajya Sabha giving its nod to the anti-corruption legislation on Tuesday. The Bill will now be taken up in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
The proceedings were “peaceful” as the Samajwadi Party, which had voiced reservations against the Bill, walked out of the House, and the Government brought official amendments to incorporate almost all the suggestions of the Opposition and the Select Committee.
Except the CPI (M) and the CPI, no other party had moved amendments to the Bill. The amendments proposed by the Left parties were put to vote and defeated in the House. The Left had said during the debate that excluding public-private partnership projects from Lokpal’s ambit would be counter-productive.
Reservation issue Law Minister Kapil Sibal assured the House that the Prevention of Corruption Act would be amended soon to make the “supply side” of corruption punishable. Citing the example of power distribution companies, CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury said people were agitated with the way PPPs were being run in the country.
Replying to the debate, Sibal said the real test before every State or national party would be to get a similar law passed in State Assemblies within a year and set up Lokayuktas to deal with corruption cases at the State level.
The Bharatiya Janata Party opposed the provision for reservation for minorities in the proposed Lokpal. “This Bill, to that extent, suffers from a Constitutional vice. There is no scope in our Constitution for religion-based reservation in the appointment of Lokpal,” Opposition leader Arun Jaitley said. Sibal, however, justified the move saying the Government wanted to ensure that no community should feel left out. Speakers from various other parties, however, supported reservation for minorities in the panel.
They also voiced their opposition to bringing the Prime Minister under the Lokpal’s ambit. Sibal said the consensus in the House was for including the Prime Minister and his office and the Government would go by it. Apart from the SP, the Shiv Sena also opposed the Bill. The party said the Lokpal would be a “super constitutional” authority.
jigeesh.am@thehindu.co.in
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