Thaindian News

New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not want the Lokpal bill to be passed so that it can raise the issue in the forthcoming assembly polls in five states, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said Tuesday.

Participating in the debate in the Lok Sabha on the anti-graft bill, Sibal said: “BJP wants that this bill does not get passed… their politics is not to allow Lokpal. Tell that government is bringing a weak Lokpal and then go to the election-bound states. They have nothing to do with strong Lokpal.”

Charging the BJP with “political conspiracy”, Sibal said the party will go to Anna Hazare if the bill is not passed.

He said while opposition parties want a strong anti-corruption ombudsman at the centre, they were not keen on a bill for effective Lokayuktas in states.

“If the bill is passed, it will be written in golden letters. If it is defeated, the people will not forgive you,” he said.

He said the constitutionality of the Lokpal bill will be decided by courts.

Sibal challenged the BJP to make a declaration that it will pass in two months a strong Lokayukta bill in states ruled by it.

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj responded by saying that the party had paved the way by passing a “model” Lokayukta bill in Uttarakhand.

Sibal also accused the BJP of not making “constructive suggestions” in the debate.

“No constructive suggestion how to fight corruption. BJP should not let the country down,” he said, adding that opposition to the bill will be against the sense of the house.

He said Lokayukta bills in opposition-ruled states did not have a sweeping jurisdiction over employees and chief ministers were involved in the appointment process.

“There they say chief minister will appoint Lokayukta,” Sibal said and referred to the row in Gujarat over the Lokayukta’s appointment.

He said corruption encountered by the common man had mostly to do with services rendered by state governments.

“State services, real corruption is there. Patwari does not work, people do not get ration, no place in hospitals… real issues which affect people are with state governments,” Sibal said.

He also took a dig at the BJP over the removal of B.S. Yeddyurappa as the Karnataka chief minister over corruption charges.

“They adopt corruption in states and say here that there is a lot of corruption. This is the reality,” Sibal said.

Rejecting charges that the bill disrupted the country’s federal structure, Sibal said it was an enabling legislation and the states can decide when to incorporate provisions of the bill in their Lokayukta acts.

He said there was no bar on states on bringing a better Lokayukta act.

Sibal said the Lokayukta act of Tripura, for example, did not include all categories of employees.

Defending reservation for minorities and other weaker sections in the Lokpal bill, Sibal said the provisions were not unconstitutional.

“Should minorities not be represented? Should backward classes not be represented? How will you give justice?”

The minister said the government had ensured functional autonomy of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), but added that employees working in the organisation were government servants and thus the government had to decide on their transfers.