New Delhi: Team Anna member Kiran Bedi
on Tuesday night expressed disappointment at the recommendations in the
draft report of Standing Committee on Lokpal Bill, saying
going back on commitment given by Parliament will call for
mass movement again.
"This is going back on the commitment and will call for
mass movement again," Bedi told PTI when asked for her
comments on the draft report which sought to keep lower
bureacracy out of the ambit of the ombudsman among other
things.
The Standing Committee has also recommended keeping out
judiciary and MPs' conduct in House out of its purview and
rejected the demand for hiving off the prosecution wing of CBI
to come under its jurisdiction.
Team Anna has been insisting that the lower bureaucracy,
higher judiciary, provisions for Citizen Charter and setting
up of Lokayuktas in state level be included in the ambit of
Lokpal Bill.
On the exclusion of judiciary, she said, it was a set
back to people's demands as "people overwhelmingly wanted
judiciary in. By this corruption in judiciary is covered
nowhere, neither in Judicial Accountability Bill nor in
Lokpal."
She said if prosecution wing of CBI does not come under
Lokpal's jurisdiction, the country will never see the decline
and successful expeditious prosecution of the high and mighty.
Reacting to members unanimously recommending conferring
constitutional status on the Lokpal, Bedi said, "this may
become the reason for not having it. For the government in
power does not have a two thirds majority in Parliament. It
will be used to not pass the bill."
However, she welcomed the proposal to bring corporates,
media and NGOs under the ambit of Lokpal. "This is welcome.
Need to know the exact provisions," she said.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, November 29, 2011, 00:41