Lokpal panel fails to convince Oppn

Even as the House panel on the lokpal made recommendation for a balance in the powers of the CBI, CVC and the proposed anti-corruption watchdog, however, it failed to convince the opposition BJP with its 286-page report.

Even as the House panel on the lokpal made recommendation for a balance in the powers of the CBI, CVC and the proposed anti-corruption watchdog, however, it failed to convince the opposition BJP with its 286-page report.

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The report saw dissent notes from 17 members on various issues, including three Congress MPs.

Abhishek Singhvi, chairperson of the panel, said the committee unanimously agreed on 13 of the 24 issues examined by it.

“There are many creative initiatives and firsts in the report…There is no magic wand or special button to eliminate the scourge of corruption within a short time,” he said.

The panel has rejected the demand for giving independent phone tapping powers to the lokpal. The report includes the dissent notes from 17 members. Six BJP MPs gave a common dissent note demanding inclusion of the PM, citizens and public grievances and lower bureaucracy. On some of these points, members of the BJD, SP and Left parties agreed with them.

The BJP debunked the report.

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said: “There seems to be an attempt to make the report so complicated that passage of the lokpal bill becomes difficult. I feel this is the intention behind some of the proposals in the report. It has ignored the political and social wisdoms and got involved in legalisms.”

Key recommendations of house panel

Parliament will decide whether the prime minister should be brought under the ambit of the lokpal bill

The CBI shall not be subject to anybody’s control in the graft cases to be referred for probe by the lokpal

The CBI should have separate investigation and prosecution wings

Lokpal would not require sanction from any authority to prosecute any public servant facing corruption allegations

Reservation for SCs, STs, women and minorities in the panel, which will select lokpal chairperson and members

Group A and B bureaucrats to be under lokpal’s jurisdiction.

Group C& D staff under CVC.