Lokpal: Govt parleys with oppn gain pace

With barely two weeks left for the current budget session to end, efforts by the government to buy peace with the opposition on the Lokpal Bill have gathered momentum.

With barely two weeks left for the current budget session to end, efforts by the government to buy peace with the opposition on the Lokpal Bill have gathered momentum.

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In the all-party meeting held on March 23, the government had assured the opposition and UPA allies that it would move the Lokpal Bill with some amendments in the Rajya Sabha during the current session itself.

In a widely anticipated move, the government is likely to drop the controversial clause from the Bill, which seeks to make it mandatory for states to set up lokayuktas through a single legislation to be passed by Parliament.

Deletion of the lokayuktas clause from the bill is one of the main demands of the opposition as well as the UPA allies.

The Lokpal Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on December 27 last, but got stuck in the Rajya Sabha on the night of December 29 after the opposition parties insisted on voting on the 187 amendments moved by them.

The government was forced to seek adjournment of the session that night, since it did not have a majority and it did not want to face defeat on the bill.

It is not yet clear whether the Centre will concede to the other demands of the opposition, including freeing the appointment and removal procedure of Lokpal from the government's control. The opposition parties also want the CBI to be given autonomy.