Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Saturday assured that his government was open to discussion to ensure a strong Lokpal and said while there was scope for “give and take” people must also realise there is a legislative process involved.

“There are difficulties. There is logic of the legislative process. Certain stages have to be crossed. I hope people will appreciate that there is dynamics of the legislative process, which takes time sometimes,” the prime minister told select media here while talking about the economy and the government’s approach to the 12th Five Year Plan.

“We are all in favour of Lokpal, which is strong which is effective and therefore there is a lot of scope of give and take,” he said, when asked how he hoped to push forward a recommendation on the same lines in the approach paper for the plan.

“Our hope is that we can list the cooperation of all thinking segments of Indian public opinion to ensure that the end product is strong and effective Lokpal, which all sections of our community want today,” he said.

“We must all work together to push forward the case for strong and effective Lokpal and whatever obstacles come in the way we remove them and that has to be commitment which all segments of the political community must honour and work towards it.”

The prime minister made no other comments on the current situation and standoff with civil society activists that has led to a big crisis for his government.

The “Approach to the 12th Five Year Plan” says in a chapter on governance, which has a section on corruption, that “measures should be taken to set up new institutions like the Lokpal and Lokayukta, which should investigate complaints of corruption and file cases against those against whom a prima facie case is made out.”

-Indo-Asian News Service
ap/tb