PM should be covered by Lokpal: CPI-M
July 2nd, 2011 - 8:48 pm ICT by IANS
New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Saturday said the office of the prime minister should be covered by the Lokpal with adequate safeguards but the judiciary should be out of its ambit.
“The prime minister should be brought under the purview of the Lokpal with adequate safeguards,” Karat told reporters here.
“The office of the prime minister along with all public servants was brought under the purview of Lokpal by the V.P. Singh government in 1989 and also by the parliamentary standing committee headed by Pranab Mukherjee in 2001. Then why it is being changed today?” Karat asked.
“It is surprising that the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) doesn’t want to bring PM under Lokpal,” he added.
According to Karat, the official draft of the Lokpal “is not the government’s draft, but only a draft by five ministers”. “By avoiding the political parties, you can’t pass any bill in parliament.”
While suggesting that “the judiciary too needs to be brought under scrutiny”, he said he did not favour the higher judiciary within the Lokpal’s purview.
To make the judiciary more accountable, the CPI-M wants a national judicial commission to be set up at the earliest, he said.
Karat said the “battle against corruption can be achieved only through a comprehensive reform of our political, legal, administrative and judicial systems and not through one-off or piece-meal measures”.
- Hazare meets Sonia, parties differ on PM under Lokpal (Roundup) - Jul 02, 2011
- PM should be included in Lokpal: Brinda Karat - Jul 28, 2011
- All-party meet on Lokpal bill Sunday (Lead) - Jul 03, 2011
- All-party meeting on Lokpal bill Sunday - Jul 03, 2011
- NDA, Left attend all-party Lokpal meeting (Lead) - Jul 03, 2011
- Consensus eludes all-party meet on Lokpal bill (Second Lead) - Jul 03, 2011
- Lokpal bill weak, should cover PM: Karat - Aug 05, 2011
- All party meet on Lokpal bill ends amid differences (Lead) - Jul 03, 2011
- Congress attacks Karat on Lokpal bill remark - Jul 03, 2011
- Civil society seeks referendum on PM in Lokpal's ambit - Jul 17, 2011
- Mukherjee seeks views on Lokpal bill; government says talks on right path (Lead) - May 31, 2011
- Bhushan asks government to join debate on Lokpal - Jun 01, 2011
- Team Anna meets CPI-M over Lokpal bill - Nov 25, 2011
- Anna gets Left, right support for strong Lokpal (Roundup) - Dec 11, 2011
- BJP wants PM, CBI, lower bureaucracy under Lokpal - Dec 11, 2011
Tags: adequate safeguards, ambit, communist party of india, communist party of india marxist, CPI, general secretary, judicial systems, judiciary, national judicial commission, New Delhi, office of the prime minister, parliamentary standing committee, political parties, prakash karat, pranab mukherjee, progressive alliance, public servants, purview, UPA, v p singh