BJP prepared to pass Lokpal Bill without discussion, says Sushma

Zee Media Bureau/Himanshu Kapoor

New Delhi: As Congress vice president on Saturday urged all parties to pass the long-delayed Lokpal Bill, saying it`s a very powerful instrument to fight corruption, senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj today said that the BJP is prepared to pass the bill as without a discussion in Parliament. The leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha wrote on the social networking website Twitter, "BJP is prepared to pass Lokpal Bill as approved by Select Committee without a discussion in the Parliament. (sic)"

Lokpal Bill - BJP is prepared to pass Lokpal Bill as approved by Select Committee without a discussion in the Parliament.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwarajbjp) December 14, 2013

She further tweeted that the party is ready to pass the Lokpal Bill in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Let Rajya Sabha pass Lokpal Bill on Monday. We will pass the Bill in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwarajbjp) December 14, 2013

Rahul Gandhi came out strongly for the passage of the bill and appealed to political parties to set aside differences to ensure its passage. He said that "our job is to give this country a powerful Lokpal Bill" and that with one per cent support from the political parties the bill can actually be delivered. He added that, "We have consensus over the Lokpal Bill." But BJP leader and leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley blamed the Congress for shifting its stand and not being serious about passage of the Bill. As both the parties are keen on passing the bill, anti-corrpution crusader Anna Hazare, who has been sitting on a hunger strike for the past five days for the passage of the bill, said that he is happy with the amended legislation presented in the Rajya Sabha and that he would calls off his fast if the law is enacted. Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal, who remains critical of the new bill, differed with Anna and called it a `jokepal` bill. Kejriwal tweeted on the micro-blogging website questioning which forces Anna is being misled by. "I am really surprised, how can Anna accept the sarkari Lokpal Bill? Sarkari Lokpal is a `jokepal`, Who is misguiding Anna?" Kejriwal wrote.