On Tuesday night Lok Sabha has delivered the Lokpal Bill with some modifications by voice vote with the Left parties, As before the voting Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party walked out in disapproval.In current times it was one of the most argued bills both inside and outside Parliament.
At the same time in a powerful speech for the Lokpal bill on Tuesday Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that a last conclusion on the legislation must rest with parliament and stressed that the CBI should be liberated of Lokpal.
Meanwhile, in a strong speech pitching for the Lokpal bill, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Tuesday said a final decision on the legislation must rest with parliament and stressed that the CBI should be independent of Lokpal.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha during the debate on the bill tabled last week, the Prime Minister said the bill "lives up to the promise that members of this house collectively made to the people of the country by the way of 'sense of house'".
Prime Minister also said that it is wrong to dub all bureaucracy and politicians as "corrupt" or "dishonest."
Passage of the bill is a serious business and must eventually be performed by all of us who have been constitutionally assigned. Others can persuade and their voices heard, but the decision must rest with us," Singh said referring to Anna Hazare, who is fasting in Mumbai for a strong Lokpal.
Anna Hazare is fasting for three days while parliament is debating the Lokpal bill Dec 27-29.
On the CBI, the Prime Minister said: "I believe that the CBI should function independently of the Lokpal. I also believe that the CBI should function independently of the government. But independent does not mean absence of accountability."
"We have, therefore, proposed a framework for the appointment of CBI director which involves the prime minister, the chief justice of India or his nominee, and the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and no one should have doubt about the integrity of this process," he added.
He said as far as the issue of the CBI functioning under Lokpal is concerned, the government believes this could create an executive structure outside parliament, which is accountable to none.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh remarked that bureaucracy has been "at the receiving end" and all bureaucrats and politicians should not be perceived as corrupt.
As the opposition parties proposed many modifications to the Lokpal bill which include giving the Lokpal an investigative wing, setting the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) free from the government's administrative and financial control, and making it optional for states to set up their own anti-graft Lokayuktas.
Bharatiya Janata Party's Sushma Swaraj, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, punched holes in the Lokpal bill, saying it was anything but a strong and effective law to deal with corruption in the country.
Sushma Swaraj said "It is patently unconstitutional (bill)... deeply flawed and tampers with the basic structure of our constitution,"
Left parties also obstructed the bill, saying it was not strong to battle for the corruption in country.
Communist Party of India-Marxist Basudeb Acharia said that With the contemporary bill we do not believe strongly a poweful Lokpal.
