Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Taking on the UPA government on the Lokpal issue, the Left on Thursday asked the ruling alliance not to pass a bill, which does not go with the basic spirit of the Constitution.
Beginning his speech by quoting few lines of a popular song ‘Kahin pe nigaahein, kahin pe nishaana,’ Yechury said that government’s intentions and target are mismatched.
Referring to the government-opposition clash over the Lokpal Bill, he even said, “Maamla bahut gambhir hai, the matter at hand is very serious.”
Taking part in the debate in Rajya Sabha, CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury said, “I would like to complement the ruling side and the opposition that today we are discussing the Lokpal Bill. We this debate, we are now inching closer to turning a long-cherished dream of having an effective Lokpal mechanism into a reality. However, I regret that the Lokpal Bill introduced by the government is incompetent and will not turn out to be an effective tool to fight this menace.”
The Left leader said that the government’s Lokpal Bill has four basic problems relating to the federal structure, selection process, electoral reforms and the independence of CBI, CVC and the Lokpal.
Citing Article 1 of the Constitution, which says that India will be a Union of States, Yechury said, “Without the states there is no India. Lokpal bill is against states and by introducing such a bill, the government is acting against the interest of states and eventually against India. So keeping that spirit in mind, I would like to appeal to the government that it must uphold the spirit of the Constitution.”
Pitching for a strong Lokpal, he asked the government to accept the amendments proposed by the Opposition to make a stronger anti-corruption body.
"Enact an effective Lokpal. This Bill is against the spirit of Constitution. Federal content of the Bill is questionable," the senior Left party leader said.
Countering the government’s view point that the Opposition does not want a Lokpal, Yechury said, “The question here should not be whether or not we want a Lokpal, but whether or not we want a strong and effective Lokpal?”
He also raised doubts over government’s claim of keeping the CBI, CVC and the Lokpal free from government control. He sought greater transparency in the process of selecting the CBI director and the members of the Lokpal.
Shifting his focus to urgent electoral reforms for a total clean up of the political system, Yechury asked the government to move necessary amendment to bring the corporate funding of the political parties under the purview of the Election Commission or Lokpal.”
Claiming that the left parties were extremely unhappy with the Lokpal bill, Yechury asked the government not to make it a prestige issue and pass an effective, strong and transparent anti-graft legislation in the best interest of the country.
