Lokpal snippets

The prime minister should come under the purview of the proposed anti-graft watchdog Lokpal and the controversial prescription for similar Lokayuktas in states should be dropped from the draft law, the Rajya Sabha select committee has recommended.
The select committee appears to have reached a broad consensus over the draft bill that sharply divided political parties and it now stands a reasonable chance of going through Parliament although it is unlikely to pass muster with civil society groups agitating for a tough law against corruption.
The draft finalized retains the clause placing the office of the PM under the ambit of the Lokpal with the exception of matters relating to national security and foreign affairs. Successive governments have struggled with this clause — the UPA and the previous NDA regime opposed this provision.
However, the agitation by Anna Hazare saw the BJP changing its position and Congress had little choice but to follow suit although initially a Cabinet discussion on Lokpal saw PM Manmohan Singh being overruled by most ministers who felt the proviso could cripple the PMO by making it vulnerable to motivated attacks.
Committee chairman and Congress leader Satyavrat Chaturvedi said the report would be tabled in the Rajya Sabha on November 23.
The prevailing public mood seems to have weighed with the committee on keeping the PM within the Lokpal’s ambit.