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Lokpal Bill Is Weak, Saddened by Anna's Stand: Kejriwal
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Rejecting the Lokpal Bill under consideration in Rajya Sabha as "weak" and ineffective, Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal today said nobody except Congress will be benefited by its passage while Rahul Gandhi will get the credit for it.

He also said he was saddened by Anna Hazare's stand that he would break his fast if the Lokpal Bill which is in the Upper House is enacted, warning that the proposed legislation will not prevent corruption but instead work to "protect the corrupt".

"Forget about any minister, not even a mouse will go to jail if this bill is enacted. I can assure you that there would not be a single conviction with this Lokpal in next 10 years. I pondered over who will gain from this Lokpal Bill. I found that Congress would gain and its Vice President Rahul Gandhi will get some credit for its passage," Kejriwal said.

He claimed that until Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was made independent, which has not been done in this Bill, there would not be a single conviction in corruption cases.

"In the past 50 years of CBI, there are only four convictions of political leaders by the agency. This is due to the fact that they report to their same political bosses against whom they probe a case.

"Had CBI been independent, then there was a possibility that even the Prime Minister might have been jailed in either 2G case or Coal scam," the AAP leader told reporters.

The party termed the Lokpal Bill as "weak" and said it will not prevent corruption but instead work to "protect the corrupt".

Criticising the Bill in present form, Kejriwal said the Bill which was passed on August 11, 2011 had the provision of an independent investigating machinery for the Lokpal.

"But today, how can we accept this weak Lokpal. We will continue with our agitation for Janlokpal and make the people aware that Parliament has failed to keep its three assurances made to Hazare to break his fast," he said.

To suggestions that provisions from Janlokpal Bill can be added to the legislation once it is enacted, Kejriwal retorted, "When they don't commit corruption in instalments, then why do they want to give us a law in instalments?"

Attacking the government, he said, "What do they think, it is a retail shop or what? Why don't they make a strict law in one go, instead of making is piecemeal?"

Asked about the possibility of formation of government in Delhi, Kejriwal said they were awaiting the reply from Congress and BJP about their stand on 18 important issues, "which were mainly created by them".

He said he was trying to do "politics of consensus" and not "shying away from responsibility"and that's why he had sought the stand of both the parties, who were ready to extend "support" to his government.

"Congress had been saying they were giving unconditional support, while BJP constructive support. In political parlance, it means we won't let you run the government and in politics and love, nothing is unconditional, there are some conditions.

"They should stop playing politics and do some serious stuff and give their replies. If all the three parties - BJP, Congress and AAP - are ready, all the issues would be resolved within minutes," he said.

The AAP leader said they would go to the people with the replies of both the parties and "we would put it in public domain and also take it to them through public meetings and seek their opinion on whether we should form the government or not.

"We will conduct public meetings in 270 municipal wards, after getting the reply from Congress and BJP," he said, adding that if people will ask us to form the government then "we would do that and even show how a government is run".

Earlier, comparing government's Lokpal Bill and Janlokpal Bill, senior advocate and AAP leader Prashant Bhushan said, "There were many differences between the two on the issues of appointment, removal, investigating agency, protection to whistle blower, citizens charter, appointment of lokayuktas in states, frivolous complaints and the ambit of the Lokpal."

He said that in Lokpal Bill, majority of those who will select Lokpal would be from the political class - Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha Speaker, who themselves would need to be investigated by the Lokpal.

"For removal of Lokpal, in this Bill, only the government or 100 MPs can make a complaint to the Supreme Court, while in Janlokpal any citizen could complain to the SC seeking removal of any member of Lokpal," Bhushan said.

He said that in Lokpal, the administrative control of investigating agency would remain under the government, while Janlokpal suggested that CBI be brought under the Lokpal, independent from all administrative control of government.

There is no provision of protection of whistle blower, it does not mention about the Citizen's Charters, Lokayuktas in states have been left to the discretion of the state governments, he said, adding any person making frivolous complaint could be jailed for up to one year which would deter even honest complainants from going to the Lokpal.

"Judiciary has been excluded completely and MPs have been excluded in respect of their votes and speeches in Parliament while Janlokpal included all public servants," he said.

Meanwhile, AAP leader Gopal Rai, who was fasting along with Hazare and was asked to leave the village following a verbal dual with Gen (retd) V K Singh, has ended his hunger strike.

"I was fasting in support of Hazare's indefinite fast but the way he decided to accept the weak government's bill, I have decided to call off my fast," Rai told