New Delhi: Unhappy with the ultimatum set by
Anna Hazare on the Jan Lokpal issue, a senior minister today
said Government is committed to bring a "strong and effective"
Lokpal bill to deal with corruption but made it clear that
this cannot be done by "putting a pistol on someone's neck".
"You cannot get something done by putting a pistol on
someone's neck," said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan
Bansal, maintaining that the Parliamentary Standing Committee
was looking into it and collecting views of its members on it.
His comments came a day after Hazare warned the Congress
that if the Jan Lokpal bill was not passed in the coming
winter session of Parliament, he would campaign in five
election-bound states asking people not to vote for the party.
"It will be a sincere endeavour to see that the Bill is
taken up during the next winter session. But it depends upon
the work the Committee is able to do. The Committee has
members from all the parties and they are getting inputs from
different people who want to come before it," Bansal said.
He said that there should not be any problem in taking up
the Bill in the next session, if the Committee is able to give
its report in due time.
Asking Hazare to have faith in the democratic setup of
the country, he said, "The Bill has already gone to
Parliament. Important thing is to make a good and effective
law after consultation with everyone."
Law Minister Salman Khurshid said, "Our intention and
endeavor is to try and bring it (Lokpal Bill) in the winter
session... Bring a very effective and very powerful Lokpal
with Constitutional status."
Asked about the time line to pass the Bill, he said, "I
cannot fix the time line because it has to be fixed by the
Parliamentary Affairs Minister and the Chairman of the
Parliamentary Standing Committee looking into it."
PTI
First Published: Wednesday, October 05, 2011, 15:28