Social activist Anna Hazare arrives to attend the first joint drafting committee for the Lokpal Bill, or anti- corruption bill, chaired by Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in New Delhi, India, Saturday, April 16, 2011. The idea of the meeting was to resurrect an anti-corruption bill that has languished in Parliament since 1972 which would create an independent watchdog to investigate graft allegations. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
NEW DELHI, June 18 (Agencies): New Delhi: Wanting to douse the raging debate over whether or not Prime Minister and higher judiciary should be brought in the ambit of Lokpal, the government on Saturday decided to call an all-party meeting to discuss the issue. The decision was taken at the Congress core committee meeting today morning at 7 Race Course Road.
In its first meeting on Friday evening, the Congress Core Committee had said it would take a decision after the Lokpal panel sent its recommendation.
So far, there is no consensus amongst political parties on whether or not to bring Prime Minister and the Chief Justice under the Lokpal umbrella. Most political parties are against the inclusion of Prime Minister’s post, as per reports. The main opposition BJP was the first to demand an all-party meeting on the issue. Last month, the Chairman of the Lokpal Joint Draft Committee Pranab Mukherjee had written to Chief Ministers of all states as well as the leaders of all political parties seeking their views on the six most important issues concerning the Lokpal Bill.
Speaking to a television news channel, Kapil Sibal said that prima facie the government was opposed to the inclusion of Prime Minister under Lokpal, but was open to the idea to cover him once he demits office. Meanwhile Chidambaram had said, while addressing a press conference earlier, the government is not closed to the idea of PM being under the Lokpal, but the form of inclusion and provisions under which he is covered would need to be worked out.
While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has publicly stated that he is open to the idea of bringing his post under the Lokpal, the party has not yet reached a consensus on the issue. The Congress core group had, on Friday night, met and discussed the issue threadbare. The meeting was attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister AK Antony and Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president.
The meeting of the Core Group took place against the backdrop of the showdown between Anna Hazare camp and government representatives in the Joint Committee with the Gandhian insisting on bringing Prime Minister and higher judiciary in the ambit of the proposed Lokpal.
In its first meeting on Friday evening, the Congress Core Committee had said it would take a decision after the Lokpal panel sent its recommendation.
So far, there is no consensus amongst political parties on whether or not to bring Prime Minister and the Chief Justice under the Lokpal umbrella. Most political parties are against the inclusion of Prime Minister’s post, as per reports. The main opposition BJP was the first to demand an all-party meeting on the issue. Last month, the Chairman of the Lokpal Joint Draft Committee Pranab Mukherjee had written to Chief Ministers of all states as well as the leaders of all political parties seeking their views on the six most important issues concerning the Lokpal Bill.
Speaking to a television news channel, Kapil Sibal said that prima facie the government was opposed to the inclusion of Prime Minister under Lokpal, but was open to the idea to cover him once he demits office. Meanwhile Chidambaram had said, while addressing a press conference earlier, the government is not closed to the idea of PM being under the Lokpal, but the form of inclusion and provisions under which he is covered would need to be worked out.
While Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has publicly stated that he is open to the idea of bringing his post under the Lokpal, the party has not yet reached a consensus on the issue. The Congress core group had, on Friday night, met and discussed the issue threadbare. The meeting was attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister AK Antony and Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Congress president.
The meeting of the Core Group took place against the backdrop of the showdown between Anna Hazare camp and government representatives in the Joint Committee with the Gandhian insisting on bringing Prime Minister and higher judiciary in the ambit of the proposed Lokpal.
Make law to protect journalists, Anna Hazare tells PM
NEW DELHI, June 18 (agencies): A week after a senior journalist was gunned down in Mumbai, social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to demand a strong law to prevent any repetition of the incident. “Such deadly attacks on journalists are not a good sign for democracy. This is an attack on democracy and a tough law needs to be implemented by the central government to check any such instances involving journalists in the future,” Hazare told a news channel. “Therefore, I have written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding the same issue,” he added. Jyotirmoy Dey, editor (special investigations) at Mid Day, was shot dead June 11 by four unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants near his residence Saturday afternoon, sending shockwaves through the city’s media circles.
NEW DELHI, June 18 (agencies): A week after a senior journalist was gunned down in Mumbai, social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to demand a strong law to prevent any repetition of the incident. “Such deadly attacks on journalists are not a good sign for democracy. This is an attack on democracy and a tough law needs to be implemented by the central government to check any such instances involving journalists in the future,” Hazare told a news channel. “Therefore, I have written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding the same issue,” he added. Jyotirmoy Dey, editor (special investigations) at Mid Day, was shot dead June 11 by four unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants near his residence Saturday afternoon, sending shockwaves through the city’s media circles.
Will not attend further meetings of Lokpal panel: Santosh Hegde
BANGALORE, June 18 (agencies): Karnataka Lokayukta (ombudsman) N. Santosh Hegde said on Saturday that he will not attend further meetings of the Lokpal Bill draft panel as he has prior commitments. “There is no question of withdrawing from the panel though I will not be able to attend further meetings as I have commitments to meet,” he told reporters here on the margins of a function. He said: “A suggestion has been made that the Prime Minister and judges should be under the Lokpal, but the government has rejected it.”
Hegde, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, is one of the five civil society members on the 10-member panel that includes five central cabinet ministers. The other civil society members are Gandhian Anna Hazare, social activist Arvind Kejriwal and lawyers Shanti Bhushan and his son Prashant. The government side is represented by Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal, M. Veerappa Moily and Salman Khursheed.
Hegde, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, is one of the five civil society members on the 10-member panel that includes five central cabinet ministers. The other civil society members are Gandhian Anna Hazare, social activist Arvind Kejriwal and lawyers Shanti Bhushan and his son Prashant. The government side is represented by Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal, M. Veerappa Moily and Salman Khursheed.
PM should be out of Lokpal till he demits office: Sibal
NEW DELHI, June 18 (PTI): Government on Saturday made clear its opposition to bringing the post of Prime Minister under the purview of Lokpal till he demits office and ruled out opening the conduct of MPs inside Parliament as also the higher judiciary to scrutiny of the proposed ombudsman.
“Within the government, we feel prima facie, the Prime Minister should not be covered (under the Lokpal). But at the same time we want to make sure that if he demits office, he should not be exonerated from prosecution,” said HRD minister Sibal who is part of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal.
However, he said, the five ministers in the joint committee were willing to be persuaded to bring the Prime Minister under the ambit of the anti-corruption legislation if the civil society side gives a “compelling argument”.
Contending that it was not the question of “an individual, Manmohan Singh” but “an institution”, he said on Karan Thapar’s Devil’s Advocate programme, “Which Prime Minister in office anywhere in the world has been prosecuted in the world? Please tell me, please give me an example.”
The government is also “clear” that the conduct of MPs inside Parliament should not come under the Lokpal, he said. “What happens inside the House, the speaker and the House should deal with it...and not the Lokpal. We can have a mechanism within the House where sanction can be given for investigation once the Ethics Committee concludes that there is a criminal offence,” he argued.
He said the government was against bringing higher judiciary under Lokpal’s ambit but open to look into civil society’s suggestions on corruption there in the Judicial Accountability Bill “if they are acceptable to the government”.
“Within the government, we feel prima facie, the Prime Minister should not be covered (under the Lokpal). But at the same time we want to make sure that if he demits office, he should not be exonerated from prosecution,” said HRD minister Sibal who is part of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal.
However, he said, the five ministers in the joint committee were willing to be persuaded to bring the Prime Minister under the ambit of the anti-corruption legislation if the civil society side gives a “compelling argument”.
Contending that it was not the question of “an individual, Manmohan Singh” but “an institution”, he said on Karan Thapar’s Devil’s Advocate programme, “Which Prime Minister in office anywhere in the world has been prosecuted in the world? Please tell me, please give me an example.”
The government is also “clear” that the conduct of MPs inside Parliament should not come under the Lokpal, he said. “What happens inside the House, the speaker and the House should deal with it...and not the Lokpal. We can have a mechanism within the House where sanction can be given for investigation once the Ethics Committee concludes that there is a criminal offence,” he argued.
He said the government was against bringing higher judiciary under Lokpal’s ambit but open to look into civil society’s suggestions on corruption there in the Judicial Accountability Bill “if they are acceptable to the government”.
