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Lokpal protests choreographed, says Team Anna
Team Anna on Thursday accused the UPA govt of planning protests and creating ruckus inside Parliament to delay tabling of the Lokpal Bill.
Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Slamming the UPA government for bringing a weak anti-graft legislation, Team Anna on Thursday accused it of planning protests and creating ruckus inside Parliament to delay tabling of the Lokpal Bill.
Speaking to reporters, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi said, “The Lokpal bill is going the Women’s Reservation Bill way. I doubt if the anti-graft bill will go through the Parliament. I doubt whether the bill will see the light of the day. The UPA government has planned protests and creating ruckus on the issue inside Parliament along with Samajwadi Party and the RJD led by Lalu Prasad Yadav.”
Bedi continued by saying that the draft prepared by the government should be rejected and condemned in the strongest terms. ‘This draft has several loose ends and due to this, the rational of the anti-graft legislation has been lost completely,” she added.
“By tweaking several provisions related to the appointment of CBI director and by rejecting several crucial demands made by the civil society, the government appears to be saving the CBI and the corrupt politicians. It will not serve any purpose at all,” Bedi said.
"We will go on agitating, we will go on making people aware of Government’s dilly-dallying on the issue. It is just a matter of time that people realize Government’s betrayal and teach the Congress regime a lesson for not bringing an effective Lokpal bill,” she said.
The former IPS officer also sought an explanation from the Government on various contentious issues, without which the draft bill will not turn out to be an effective tool to curb corruption. She said, “We expect the lawyers in BJP to come forward and question the separation of inquiry and investigation.”
Meanwhile, noted lawyer and a close aide of Anna Hazare, Prashant Bhushan also reacted sharply to the provisions of the draft Lokpal Bill prepared by the Government and cleared by the Union Cabinet.
“If this bill is passed then the Lokpal will become a body for conducting preliminary inquiries only. The government is making a mockery of what civil society had been demanding. The government is not serious in tackling the issue of corruption,” he said.
Making a direct attack on the Congress government, Bhushan said, “This is not an anti-graft legislation but in fact it is a corruption promotion legislation, which create hurdles, complicate investigations into major cases and delay speedier justice.” Bhushan concluded by saying, “It is much worse, much weaker and socially useless draft.”
The 64-page draft Lokpal bill prepared by the government has evoked critical response from the opposition parties and the civil society with all demanding the government to rework several important provisions of the anti-graft legislation.
Clearly, the draft Lokpal Bill, which is set to become a law after the Parliament’s nod as the 116th amendment to the Constitution, is likely to witness more fireworks and an intense debate once it is tabled on the floor of the Lok Sabha.
New Delhi: Slamming the UPA government for bringing a weak anti-graft legislation, Team Anna on Thursday accused it of planning protests and creating ruckus inside Parliament to delay tabling of the Lokpal Bill.
Speaking to reporters, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi said, “The Lokpal bill is going the Women’s Reservation Bill way. I doubt if the anti-graft bill will go through the Parliament. I doubt whether the bill will see the light of the day. The UPA government has planned protests and creating ruckus on the issue inside Parliament along with Samajwadi Party and the RJD led by Lalu Prasad Yadav.”
Bedi continued by saying that the draft prepared by the government should be rejected and condemned in the strongest terms. ‘This draft has several loose ends and due to this, the rational of the anti-graft legislation has been lost completely,” she added.
“By tweaking several provisions related to the appointment of CBI director and by rejecting several crucial demands made by the civil society, the government appears to be saving the CBI and the corrupt politicians. It will not serve any purpose at all,” Bedi said.
"We will go on agitating, we will go on making people aware of Government’s dilly-dallying on the issue. It is just a matter of time that people realize Government’s betrayal and teach the Congress regime a lesson for not bringing an effective Lokpal bill,” she said.
The former IPS officer also sought an explanation from the Government on various contentious issues, without which the draft bill will not turn out to be an effective tool to curb corruption. She said, “We expect the lawyers in BJP to come forward and question the separation of inquiry and investigation.”
Meanwhile, noted lawyer and a close aide of Anna Hazare, Prashant Bhushan also reacted sharply to the provisions of the draft Lokpal Bill prepared by the Government and cleared by the Union Cabinet.
“If this bill is passed then the Lokpal will become a body for conducting preliminary inquiries only. The government is making a mockery of what civil society had been demanding. The government is not serious in tackling the issue of corruption,” he said.
Making a direct attack on the Congress government, Bhushan said, “This is not an anti-graft legislation but in fact it is a corruption promotion legislation, which create hurdles, complicate investigations into major cases and delay speedier justice.” Bhushan concluded by saying, “It is much worse, much weaker and socially useless draft.”
The 64-page draft Lokpal bill prepared by the government has evoked critical response from the opposition parties and the civil society with all demanding the government to rework several important provisions of the anti-graft legislation.
Clearly, the draft Lokpal Bill, which is set to become a law after the Parliament’s nod as the 116th amendment to the Constitution, is likely to witness more fireworks and an intense debate once it is tabled on the floor of the Lok Sabha.