All party meet: Left reiterates stand on Lokpal

NEW DELHI: An all-party meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, which was aimed at bringing an end to the deadlock over Lokpal Bill ended on Friday. The meeting was held to discuss the proposed legislation which could not be passed on the last day of the Winter Session in Rajya Sabha amid pandemonium. After coming out of the meet, CPI-M politburo member, Sitaram Yechury said that states should be given the freedom to appoint Lokayukta. “Our party is of the view that corporate and government funded NGOs should be under the Lokpal ambit,” Yechury told mediapersons when asked about Left Party’s proposed amendments on the Lokpal Bill. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party leader, Mohan Singh said that the government and all the other political parties were of the same view that an effective Lokpal Bill should be passes as soon as possible. While attending the meet the prime minister said that United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is committed to an effective Lokpal to check corruption. “Our government stands committed to an effective Lokpal legislation,” Manmohan Singh said at the all-party meet. “We look forward to benefi tting from the wisdom and guidance of all leaders present here in the task that we have set for ourselves,” he said. Leaders of parties in Rajya Sabha including BJP’s Arun Jaitley, BSP’s SC Mishra, RJD’s Ram Kripal Yadav, SP’s Ram Gopal Yadav, NCP’S Tariq Anwar and CPI’s AB Bardhan met at the Prime Minister’s residence to discuss the controversial bill, to which 97 amendments have been moved by Opposition members in the Upper House. Union Ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, AK Antony and Salman Khurshid were among those present at the meeting. Opposition parties have moved 97 amendments to the Bill in Rajya Sabha some of which were contentious and the meeting would discuss ways to evolve consensus on them, sources said. Some of the amendments, the sources said, are for bringing the Prime Minister’s Offi ce under the Lokpal, seek exclusion of Lokayukta from the Bill, abolition of minority quota and inclusion of Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha as one of the members of the selection committee. Government is keen on passing the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha even as the opposition and social activist Anna Hazare have renewed pressure on the issue. Hazare has said he will go on a fast from March 25 if the Bill is not passed while BJP has said in the Upper House that the debate and amendments to the Bill should be taken up from where they were left on the night of December 29 when the House was adjourned amid a din. Lok Sabha has already passed the Bill. The fresh consultation is aimed at ensuring that the anti-graft Bill is passed in the fi rst part of the Budget Session which ends on March 30.