Final Lokpal draft tabled in Parliament

After much ado, the Lokpal draft was finally tabled in both houses of Parliament on Friday. The Rajya Sabha was, however, adjourned till 2.30 PM due to an uproar over Minister SM Krishna’s alleged involvement in the mining scam, reports said. This occurs ahead of Anna Hazare’s day long fast at Jantar Mantar on Dec 11 to push for a strong Lokpal. The Gandhian has declared that an extended agitation would be held at Ramlila Gounds beginning 27 if the legislation is not passed in the Winter Session of the Parliament, reports added. The draft report of the Lokpal Bill was finalised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Dec 7. Members of the Opposition namely Bharatiya Janata Party, Left parties and the Samajwadi Party submitted their dissent notes on the report and were joined by some Congress members too. Most dissenting notes deal with the exclusion of roughly 5.7 million Group C staff, the largest chunk of government employees, from the Lokpal's purview, reports said. Other dissent notes included the demand for inclusion of the PM and lower bureaucracy in the scope of the Lokpal. However, the controversial matters are left to be dealt with by the Parliament by way of debates, according to Panel chairman Abhishek Manu Singhvi.