Government Slams Team Anna, Says Draft Will Be Ready By June 30

The logjam over Lokpal bill continues. Soon after Team Anna criticised it over lack of transparency, the government on Thursday lashed out at the civil society members over the anti-corruption ombudsman, saying "they want to run a parallel government". The government also said it will be ready with the Lokpal draft by June 30.

A day after the joint Lokpal panel meeting ended in a deadlock, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare had said the government had no intention to fight the graft and that he would start another satyagrah on August 16. Team Anna has said there are no discussions at the meetings and the government is simply trying to push its version through.

"We are analysing their views in the context of the framework of the Constitution," Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal shot back.

"We have agreements on many issues, but there is a divergence of views about the structure of the Lokpal bill. They want to create an independent Lokpal. We asked 'where will you find the manpower?' Can there be a change of heart among the same people who will work under you?" asked Sibal, flanked by Home Minister P. Chidambaram and Minister of Water Resources and Minister of Minority Affairs.

"Why do you want audio/video recordings - to flash it on TV channels, to castigate ministers? This is a very serious business (drafting of the bill)," Sibal asked, referring to RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal's remarks a while ago that the government was not sharing the clippings.

Chidambaram said the political process must be respected and promised that the government would complete the Lokpal draft by June 30.

"There is big gap between what is desirable and what is feasible. We must respect the laws of Parliament. We must respect the political process," he said.

Earlier, Anna, who announced to go ahead with his fast from August 16, had castigated the government over lack of any discussions at the meetings and the government's two-draft theory.

"What is the point of a joint panel, if there are two drafts," Hazare, who was flanked by other civil society members, including RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal and lawyer Prashant Bhushan, said on Thursday.

"I was surprised by the government stand on the Lokpal bill," said Hazare, who has threatened to go on a hunger strike again accusing the government of being uninterested in a strong bill. Referring to the government announcements on two drafts in case of disagreements, Hazare had stated earlier that he was not optimistic about expecting anything from the government anymore.

Hazare had led a mass indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in April.

Kejriwal said the government has refused to listen to the arguments of the civil society members, saying even 20% of the basic issues were not discussed at the meetings. Calling the Lokpal meetings a farce, Kejriwal said if the Lokpal bill was introduced in Parliament without civil society's grievances beings addressed, it would be 'a jokepal bill'.

He said the government has also refused to give any promise on sharing the audio recordings of the meetings.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Veerappa Moily said, "I am the convenor of the Lokpal drafting committee. We are keen to bring the bill. It is our genuine intention to bring the bill in Parliament in the monsoon session. But we observe that after every meeting is over, the civil society members go to public attacking us. This is not right."