Cong Core Group wants PM out of Lokpal ambit

Ahead of the joint drafting committee meeting on Lokpal early next week,the Congress Core Group met at Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs residence Friday to deliberate over the points of difference between civil society members and the government. The meeting was attended by party chief Sonia Gandhi.

The Core Group was said to have endorsed the governments stance on different issues,including on keeping the prime minister out of Lokpals ambit. The government has maintained that while ministers and even the Prime Ministers Office could be brought under the Lokpals purview,it would not be judicious to bring the PM under Lokpal,though it is prepared to discuss the issue of bringing former prime ministers under its ambit. Similarly,the government is not in favour of bringing the judiciary under the Lokpals ambit.

The Core Group was said to have decided to leave it to joint committee members to sort out the differences with civil society members.

The demand for Telangana statehood also came up for discussion. Despite mounting pressure from party MPs and MLAs from Telangana,the leadership seemed disinclined to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. It,however,is in favour of creating a Regional Council for Telangana,sources said.

At a meeting with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Congress chiefs Political Secretary Ahmed Patel on Wednesday,MPs and MLAs from Telangana had made a strong plea for statehood.