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Jantar Mantar debate: 'Bring PM, lower bureaucracy under Lokpal'

Sharing Anna Hazare's platform, Opposition parties on Sunday backed his demands for inclusion of prime minister and lower bureaucracy under the ambit of Lokpal but some counselled Team Anna to be flexible and not expect every point raised by it to be accepted.

While almost all the speakers were on the same page on most of issues raised by Hazare, Communist Party of India General Secretary ABBardhan warned Team Anna against branding as "corrupt" those people who disagree with its views and asked the activists to "listen to others". Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India-Marxist, CPI, Janata Dal-United, Akali Dal, Telugu Desam Party and Biju Janata Dal participated in the public debate on Lokpal Bill at Jantar  Mantar where Hazare was sitting on a one-day dharna protesting against Parliamentary Standing Committee report on Lokpal Bill. No representative of the Congress was present.

With inputs from Onkar Singh in New Delhi

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'Team Anna should show more flexibility'

Most of the leaders concurred with Hazare's demands for inclusion of prime minister, lower bureaucracy and the Central Bureau of Investigation's anti-corruption wing under Lokpal but they did not favour bringing higher judiciary under the ombudsman and argued for a separate mechanism to check corruption in it.

Bardhan, however, said, "Team Anna should not expect that each and every point it makes is accepted. They should show some flexibility."

"They should not think that the entire wisdom of the world is with 9-10 people. There is no dearth of scholars in a country of 120 crore. Team Anna should also listen to others and have patience to listen to others," he said.

'We oppose PM's non-inclusion in Lokpal Bill'

Samajwadi Party's Ramgopal Yadav also echoed similar views, alleging he has come across people who wave the tricolour from Hazare's platform and indulge in corrupt practices in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah.

Accusing the Parliamentary Standing Committee of not honouring Parliament's resolution on Lokpal, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said there were no two opinions about having a strong Lokpal Bill. "We demand everybody who is in the government should come under the purview of Lokpal. We oppose the prime minister's non-inclusion in the Lokpal bill," he said.

"If Central Bureau of Investigation can register a FIR against prime minister, if he can be prosecuted under the criminal procedure code then why can't be made accountable under Lokpal," Jaitley asked. He said that his party did not agree with the suggestion that prime minister should be prosecuted under prevention of corruption act after he quits the office. "He should resign forthwith the minute he comes under the shadow of doubt. He supported the move to bring Class 3 and 4 government employees including the purview of Lokpal," he said.

'CBI should be made answerable to Lokpal'

"We are of the view that the Lokpal should have a search committee of its own and people with impeccable integrity should be its members and they should select. It is very important to take the CBI out of the government's hands. It is being misused by the government. The CBI director should not come under the government," he said.

However, he said, as far as judiciary is concerned, it should not come under Lokpal. "There should be a National Judicial Commission," Jaitley said. "The very basic principles of having a strong Lokpal should not be tampered with. Including lower bureaucracy and citizens' charter in Lokpal was the sense of the house. We can differ on mechanism but not on the basic principle," he said. "It is breaking the promise you had given to the nation, to Parliament," he said.

Bardhan said it was unfair to keep the prime minister out of the Lokpal ambit. "The prime minister is also a minister of many ministries and he is responsible for taking decisions. If the prime minister is not brought under the Lokpal, then who will take care of the corruption in the ministries. The investigation has to be done," he said.Alleging that the CBI is being misused by the government which if it "wants to wean away a chief Minister, uses CBI", he said, "This cannot keep on happening and anti- corruption wing of the CBI brought should be made answerable to Lokpal."

'Bring big corporate houses under Lokpal'

"Corruption in judiciary is a very sad state of affairs and we are of the opinion that judiciary should not be brought under Lokpal. The constitution has given a special place for judiciary and that should not be disturbed. We demand that a Judical Accountability Bill has to be brought and passed," he said.

CPI-M politburo member Brinda Karat wanted big corporate houses to be brought under Lokpal. "They (private companies) will have to brought underLokpal. They are looting the country like anything and they will be under the body," she said.Contending that the prime minister should be brought under Lokpal, she also batted for MPs to be under the ombudsman's ambit."Many of my colleagues here may disagree with me but we are of the opinion that MPs should also be under Lokpal," she said.

'Extend winter session to pass Lokpal Bill'

"Why Group C employees are not brought under Lokpal. We want to know. Parties keep talking about national security being affected if the prime minister is brought under Lokpal. There are a lot of defence deals where corruption has taken place," she said.

Strongly backing Hazare, Janta Dal-United chief Sharad Yadav said his party will ensure that "not a comma or a full stop will be changed" of the 'Sense of the House' summed up by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in August after the debate on Lokpal in Parliament.

Terming "political use" of the CBI as "very dangerous", he pitched for an autonomous and independent CBI. He pressed for extending the winter session of Parliament or call a special session to pass Lokpal Bill.

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