Team Anna meets Sushma, Jaitley

Team Anna members met senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley on Tuesday to seek their support for the inclusion of lower bureaucracy, judiciary and the CBI under the purview of the proposed Lokpal Bill.

Team Anna members met senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley on Tuesday to seek their support for the inclusion of lower bureaucracy, judiciary and the CBI under the purview of the proposed Lokpal Bill.

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Activists Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Kiran Bedi and Manish Sisodia also met the BJP deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, SS Ahluwalia.

“We were not here to protest. We are holding meetings and will have more discussions,” Kejriwal told mediapersons after the hour-long meeting in the Parliament House.

The Lokpal Bill is expected to be placed for discussion and passing in the winter session of Parliament, which began on Tuesday.

Social activist Anna Hazare has threatened to launch an agitation and campaign against the Congress in the upcoming assembly polls in five states next year if a strong Lokpal Bill is not passed this session.

There have been reports that the standing committee examining the bill has suggested that judiciary, lower bureaucracy, CBI and Citizen’s Charter be kept out of the Lokpal’s ambit.

However, Team Anna members said Group C and D employees should be brought under the ambit of Lokpal, as the common man has to deal with them on a daily basis.

On the issue of keeping the CBI out of the Lokpal’s control, Team Anna said the standing committee’s reported proposal on the agency would reduce the Lokpal to merely a post office — receive complaints, forward it to the CBI, receive its report and present it before the court.