New Delhi, December 29 (IANS): Two days after the Lok Sabha passed it, the much-awaited Lokpal bill appeared to have hit a political roadblock in the Rajya Sabha Thursday as MPs furiously debated its pros and cons. As the day-long debate entered the night with the government and the opposition taking contrasting stands on key provisions of the bill aimed at combating corruption, the ruling party was hit by a numbers crunch.
Already outnumbered by the opposition benches in the upper house, the Congress seemed to have lost the vital support of ally Trinamool Congress over the bill's provisions related to the powers wielded by states. Fearing loss of federal autonomy under the bill, the Trinamool has moved about 40 amendments for a complete separation of the Lokayuktas, the state ombudsman, from the Lokpal bill.
Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajeev Shukla admitted to the hiccups. "We admit we don't have the numbers in the Rajya Sabha. But we are trying our best to get the bill passed. Our intentions are honest," he said midway through the animated discussion that at times turned stormy. Added a minister: "We are short of numbers in the Rajya Sabha."
Speculation mounted that the bill could be pushed to the next session of parliament in February, disappointing the government which badly wanted to enact the legislation in this session. In a house of 243 members, the government needs the backing of at least 122 to pass the bill. The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has only 95 members.
The debate started Thursday with Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Arun Jaitley launching a spirited attack on what he said was the government's failure to bring about an effective Lokpal. "If you are creating history, let us not create bad history. Let us create an institution which is constitutionally possible," he said, pointing out a litany of loopholes in the proposed law. "You wanted to create a phoney Lokpal," he said, looking at the treasury benches.
With political consensus not just eluding but parties at odds, on the final shape and powers of the Lokpal, Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan, himself a Supreme Court lawyer, despaired: "From whatever we have seen so far in Rajya Sabha, I don't think the Lokpal bill will get passed."
