Thaindian News

Kolkata, Jan 20 (IANS) Assailing the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for failing to bring in an effective Lokpal Bill, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) chief Prakash Karat Friday demanded that it take into account the opposition’s amendments and table a suitably amended bill in the budget session of parliament beginning mid-March.

“The UPA government was trying to bring in a very weak Lokpal Bill. It will not help in setting up an effective Lokpal. But even this weak bill was not adopted in the Rajya Sabha because the government didn’t want any amendments to be carried on this bill,” Karat said.

“It is very clear that a united opposition could have pushed through some amendments in the bill, like selection of the Lokpal for making it more broad-based in selection and not dominated by government nominees; for instance Lokpal having its own investigating machinery under its control,” he added.

The much-awaited vote on the Lokpal bill fizzled out in the Rajya Sabha amid chaos on midnight of Dec 29-30 as the house was adjourned sine die, leaving the government and opposition members at each other’s throats and the anti-corruption legislation’s future uncertain.

“We would like the Lokayukta to be set up in the states but that should be done by the state legislatures. And we wanted only a model bill or guidelines in the central bill for setting up a Lokayukta. But the government is certainly not interested in incorporating these features,” Karat said, addressing a media conference here.

“That is why we have demanded in the central committee that in the coming budget session of parliament, the government should take into account the amendments and bring a suitable amended legislation for adoption in parliament,” he said.

To a query whether his party found merit in the stand of the Trinamool Congress, which had demanded removal of the clause mandating states to set up Lokayuktas, Karat said: “Regional parties across the board are opposed to it. The DMK is also opposed to the Lokayukta provision in the central bill”.

Trinamool, the second largest UPA constituent with 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha and six in the Rajya Sabha, had supported the bill in the lower house but opposed it in the Rajya Sabha saying it infringed on the autonomy of states.

It had demanded the removal of the clause that mandated states to set up anti-graft ombudsman institutions on the same model proposed by the central government.

Karat pricked holes in the BJP’s stand on the anti-corruption ombudsman.

“The BJP is fully exposed. They are demanding an effective Lokpal and Lokayukta. But in Gujarat they did not appoint a Lokayukta. Now when Lokayukta has been appointed, they tried to stop it and failed”.