Lokpal Bill in Lok Sabha today

SESSION EXTENDED: Govt may have changed draft to drop minorities in quota provision

Even as the government decided to introduce a new Lokpal bill in the Lok Sabha tomorrow and extend the winter session of parliament by three days from December 27 to 29 to enable its discussion and possible passage,there were indications that the bill could have been reworded today to delete the term minorities in the provision for 50 per cent quota in the Lokpal bench.

Sources told The Indian Express that the term may have been deleted after it was pointed out that such a provision could create a problem,since there is no provision for reservation for minorities in the constitution.

The draft Lokpal bill cleared by the cabinet yesterday reserved 50 per cent posts in the Lokpal for SC,ST,OBC,minorities and women candidates.

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Leader of the house Pranab Mukherjee met senior BJP leader L K Advani and leaders of opposition Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley today and proposed that the session be extended.

The BJP leaders,sources said,were non-committal on supporting the Lokpal bill until they had read the draft,but told Mukherjee that they had no problems with the government extending the session.

Mukherjee told them that the government would be able to circulate copies by this evening. He said that the existing Lokpal bill,introduced in the monsoon session,would be withdrawn in the Lok Sabha tomorrow and the new bill would be introduced.

In the evening,Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal announced in the Lok Sabha the decision to extend the session. The government will also move the whistleblowers bill along with the Lokpal bill,sources said.