New Delhi: With several versions of the
Lokpal Bill doing the rounds, BJP is in favour of inclusion of the Prime Minister in the ambit of Lokpal with certain riders and agrees with most of the provisions of Jan Lokpal Bill and
Aruna Roy`s draft, party sources said here Thursday.
"We are for inclusion of the Prime Minister within the
ambit of Lokpal but with two riders. The external affairs and
national security issues should be kept out of the purview of
Lokpal while dealing with the Prime Minister," a senior BJP
leader said.
The view was formed after some deliberations within the
principal opposition when party leaders felt the Prime
Minister is bound by the Prevention of Corruption Act, the
CrPC and IPC and so cannot be exempted from the Lokpal ambit.
The Jan Lokpal Bill does not want any riders while asking that the PM be within the Lokpal`s purview.
The BJP also wants that the higher judiciary should be
made accountable through a separate strong legislation dealing
specifically with the matter instead of putting it under the
Lokpal, the sources said. Team Anna`s draft says higher
judiciary should be within the Lokpal.
However, the party has stated categorically that some
aspects of the draft are not acceptable to it and that some
other clauses of the Bill can be accepted with suitable
amendments.
BJP is strictly against the Jan Lokpal clause giving the
ombudsman powers to tap phones and to make MPs accountable for
what they say inside the Parliament.
"We want an effective and strong Lokpal but not one
which forms a parallel government," another senior party
leader said.
The party wants that the selection panel for choosing the
Lokpal should not have a majority of the government members as
then the persons would end up being a government nominee.
PTI
