The current debate on the Lokpal Bill is split along two lines: the UPA’s draft and that of Team Anna Hazare. But now, not just the political establishment, other sections of “civil society” are standing up to call for a wider debate and cautioning against a rush to push any version through. So while the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council may have made it clear that it wouldn’t discuss the Lokpal...
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Power centre or toothless body? by Akshat Kaushal
Why is the ruling party unable to pass 3 very important bills? The National Advisory Council draws its exalted status from the fact that UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi heads it. But its inability to get its way on three new Bills indicates that its influence is waning. A couple of weeks ago, the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) cleared the drafts of two significant Bills — the Food Security Bill and...
More »Govt scores Parliament-is-supreme goal
-The Telegraph The Centre may just have achieved its objective in calling today’s all-party meeting on the Lokpal bill: a consensus among Political Parties over Parliament’s primacy in lawmaking. All the parties stressed that the government must follow parliamentary procedures, with some criticising it for engaging with Anna Hazare’s group. But though everyone agreed on the need for a strong Lokpal, the parties differed on its provisions, especially on whether the Prime...
More »Govt to bring Lokpal Bill in Monsoon Session
-IBN Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday said that the Government will bring Lokpal Bill in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, and assured that the new anti-corruption legislation will be examined and passed at the earliest. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi with Union ministers Kapil Sibal and PK Bansal, the Home Minister said that he was confident that the Central Government can take the process forward and bring...
More »Arvind Kejriwal, a member of the joint drafting committee for the Lokpal Bill, interviewed by Thufail PT
Arvind Kejriwal, a member of the joint drafting committee for the Lokpal Bill, is disappointed at the way the government has treated the suggestions made by the civil society for the new Lokpal Bill. In an interview with Thufail PT, he talks about the future of the campaign, the charges of the right-wing bias in the campaign and why it is okay to take funds from corporates for such campaigns....
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