Patna: Advocating enactment of a strong and
effective Lokpal bill, the CPI on Wednesday demanded inclusion of the
Prime Minister in the ambit of the proposed national watchdog
on corruption.
"The government should enact a strong and effective
Lokpal bill latest by the Winter Session of the Parliament and
the Prime Minister must be under the jurisdiction of the
national watchdog on corruption," CPI General Secretary A B
Bardhan told reporters here.
He, however, did not elaborate on the reasons for the
Prime Minister being put under the jurisdiction of the
proposed Lokpal bill.
Bardhan, however, felt that the judiciary should be kept
out of the purview of the Lokpal bill. He said a National
Judicial Commission should be set up for the appointment of
the judges and a National Judicial Authority be put in place
to check the conduct of the judges.
The CPI General Secretary advised the UPA government to
table the Lokpal bill during the Monsoon Session of the
Parliament beginning from August 1 and complete various
processes like public debate and disposal of objections by the
Standing and Select committees of the two Houses in due course
of time before passage of the proposed bill by the Winter
Session.
Barring a steadfast stand that the Prime Minister should
be under the jurisdiction of the Lokpal bill, Bardhan said his
party had nothing more to say about the composition of the
bill at the moment and added that CPI would spell out its
views in the Parliament once the bill was tabled there.
The CPI respects the supremacy of the Parliament as the
country`s law making institution and hence it will spell out
its detailed views on the composition of the bill during
discussion in the august house of the people, he said.
The CPI leader rapped the UPA government for recently
convening an all-party meeting to seek their opinion on the
Lokpal bill without preparing an official bill.
"Where is the bill (Lokpal) on which the political
parties were asked to give their opinion?" he asked and
questioned the need for seeking a discussion on the issue amid
circulation of two drafts prepared one each by the five
ministers of the UPA government and the civil society
respectively.
PTI
