Patna: RJD Sunday vowed to continue opposing
the government's current Lokpal Bill that "lacked provisions"
for reservation and sought to bring the Prime Minister within
its ambit.
"The RJD will continue to oppose the current Lokpal Bill
that lacks provisions for reservation. We also seek to bring
the Prime Minister within its ambit in letter and spirit,"
party Rajya Sabha MPs Ramkripal Yadav and Rajniti Prasad and
state president RC Purve said.
Yadav said during consultations with leaders of
opposition parties, the government had accepted the demand for
having the provisions for reservation for minorities, Dalits
and other extremely backward people in the process of
selection for Lokpal committee.
But the government had later reneged on its promise when
the Bill was placed in Parliament, they alleged.
Yadav also flayed the BJP for voicing its concern over
the issue of reservation at the time of the debate.
He asked the government to explain as to what prompted it
to change its stand on the provisions of the Bill in Lok Sabha
and subsequently in Rajya Sabha.
Yadav accused the Congress of compromising with the BJP
on certain provisions of the Bill "which reflected tacit
understanding between the two parties."
When asked to comment as to what provoked him to tear the
copies of the Lokpal bill in Rajya Sabha during debate, Prasad
said "it was an expression of anger and the copy I tore was
not the original text of the bill."
PTI
First Published: Sunday, January 01, 2012, 22:24