Govt attacked,no takers for Team Anna Hazare line

There were also few takers for Anna Hazare’s deadline for passing the legislation in the next session,as even the BJP favoured its passage in the winter session of Parliament after introducing it in the monsoon session.

Barring the DMK and INLD,which favoured inclusion of the Prime Minister and the higher judiciary within the Lokpal’s ambit,Team Anna’s demands found little support. Only the VCK of Tamil Nadu wanted the Jan Lokpal Bill to be adopted.

Setting the tone of the meeting,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,in his opening remarks,said that the institution of the Lokpal has to be placed in the matrix of “checks and balances” provided in the Constitution.

“The institution of the Lokpal has to work in harmony with other institutions and laws and it has to function within the framework of the basic structure of our Constitution. It has to add to and not detract from the legitimate role and authority of other institutions in our democratic structure. The Constitution provides for an intricate system of checks and balances and the new institution of Lokpal has to find an appropriate place in that matrix,” he said.

In what was construed as the BJP’s indirect repudiation of Team Anna as the sole custodian of civil society,Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said after the meeting that the proposed legislation should go to the parliamentary standing committee “so that political parties,state governments and organisations” could give their reactions and suggestions.

The main Opposition made it clear that it differs on several provisions of the present Bill — mainly on the Lokpal’s jurisdiction,selection of members and eligibility criteria. Swaraj said at the meeting that Hazare had told BJP leaders that he was ready to include Opposition members in the drafting committee but the government did not agree.

“We did not spell out our views and the specifics of our differences… Once the Bill is introduced in Parliament according to the established parliamentary procedure and sent to the Standing Committee,we will express our views there… That we did not discuss the provisions of the current Bill doesn’t mean we agree with the contents of the Bill,” she said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley pointed out that there are several shortcomings in the government’s version of the Bill. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee assured that these would be looked into during the inter-ministerial consultations before its introduction in Parliament.

Meanwhile,Team Anna came under concerted attack during the three-hour long meeting. National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah sought to drive home the point that money is needed to contest elections. “Everybody needs money. Why didn’t political parties tell Ramdev and Hazare to go to hell?” he was reported to have said.

According to sources present at the meeting,Swaraj replied,“You are a Union Minister. Why didn’t your government ask them to go to hell?”

CPI(M) MP Sitaram Yechury said that since the government was coming to them after talking to civil society,“does it mean we are members of uncivil society?” The CPI(M) also wanted electoral reforms,including election spendings,to be included in the Bill.

Supporting the government’s draft,AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi said Hazare and his associates could not “threaten or blackmail” the government by going on fasts.

SP’s Mohan Singh sought to know if the government could circulate a “biography” of Hazare so that they could understand what his stature was and why the government yielded to him.

The RJD’s Lalu Prasa said Hazare’s fast was like an attempt to commit suicide and wondered why the government could not force feed him.