Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that govt is making sincere efforts to check corruption and there is no need for Yoga Guru Ramdev to resort to agitation in the matter
Seeking to widen consultations, the Centre on Tuesday wrote to all Chief Ministers and leaders of political parties eliciting their views on issues including whether to bring the Prime Minister under Lokpal.Home Minister P Chidambaram and HRD Minister Kapil Sibal addressed a press conference to make it clear that the government was committed to bringing a Bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament.
The government is also trying to avert a situation like the one that evolved during the indefinite fast by Anna Hazare last month with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and top ministry officials talking to Baba Ramdev to persuade him not to go ahead with his proposed indefinite fast from June 4.
Mukherjee, who is also the chairman of the Joint Draft Committee, today wrote a letter to the the Chief Ministers and leaders of political parties representatives in Parliament to give their views on six issues.
Chief Ministers and political parties have also been asked to give their opinion on whether the conduct of MPs inside Parliament-speaking or voting in the House be brought under the purview of Lokpal as they are protected under the Constitution.
Sibal, one of the members of the Committee, said “we are against any change in the Constitution provision relating to this”.The other question that has been asked is whether government servants in states or Centre be subject to enquiry and disciplinary action including dismissal by Lokpal and Lokayukta.
Disagreeing with civil society activists of the JDC that yesterday’s meeting was a disaster, Chidambaram said “in our view it was a very constructive meeting…there was a very constructive discussion. That is how we take it”.
He insisted that the JDC was on the right path which involved enquiry, discussion, consultation, consensus and decision.Chidambaram said yesterday, the meeting took potentially contentious issues which have been kept aside so far.
To a question on bringing the Prime Minister under the purview of Lokpal, the Home Minister said as a government the Union Cabinet has not taken a final view.
He said there were many views on the issue and all views have to be considered.
HON. DR. MANMOHAN SINGH JEE,
GIVE A WRITTEN UNDERTAKING TO REV. BABA RAM DEV IN THIS CONTEXT, AS IS WARRANTED, IN THE DIRE INTEREST OF THE NATION, AS AN HONEST PRIME MINISTER OF THIS GREAT NATION—dr.amritgaur