Despite war of words,Bill panel meets tomorrow

The meeting of the committee scheduled for June 10 had been re-scheduled for June 15.

The war of words between Congress ministers and activists over the drafting of the Lokpal Bill notwithstanding,both sides have decided to meet as scheduled on June 15 to discuss the proposed law.

After the arrest of yoga guru Baba Ramdev and police action at the site of his protest,the five non-government representatives in the Bill drafting committee had boycotted the June 6 meeting after questioning the governments intention on putting in place a law to have a strong anti-corruption watchdog.

At their request,the meeting of the committee scheduled for June 10 had been re-scheduled for June 15,though doubts remained on whether they would attend this meeting.

When contacted,advocate Prashant Bhushan acknowledged that the five civil society representatives led by Anna Hazare would attend the June 15 meeting.

Today,four of the five UPA ministers who are part of the drafting committee met in the office of committee chairperson and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to chalk out the governments response to the contentious clauses. The other ministers who attended the meeting were Home Minister P Chidambaram,Law Minister M Veerappa Moily and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal.

Sources told The Indian Express that it was decided at the meeting that the government would make another effort to bring Team Anna which includes,apart from Hazare,former Supreme Court judge and Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde,former Union law minister Shanti Bhushan,who is also the panel co-chairman,his lawyer son Prashant Bhushan,and activist Arvind Kejriwal around to its stand on why the Prime Minister and higher judiciary should remain out of the ambit of the proposed Bill.

However,it is not to suggest that the government is not ready to hear the other side. The ministers will try to convince them as will they. After all,any legislation is finalised only after due diligence and deliberations, said a source present at the meeting.

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The source also didnt rule out any give-and-take on the contentious clauses. However,at todays meeting,the ministers again ruled out videotaping of the committee proceedings as demanded by the Hazare group.

Meanwhile,Hazare today accused the Congress leaders and some Union ministers of intentionally defaming the Lokpal movement.

They (the government) are making a lot of allegations,including the so-called hidden support and political agenda designed by RSS and BJP… (this) is sheer humiliation of sentiments of common Indians. They are trying to demoralise and confuse agitators fighting against corruption and this proves the insensitivity of the government, Hazare said in Ahmednagar,Maharashtra.

He also wrote a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi,drawing her attention to the mudslinging ahead of the next meeting of the drafting committee.