Lokpal bill panel split as government, civil society members spar

Anna Hazare, the social activist spearheading the move for a Lokpal Act to make politicians and bureaucrats accountable to the public, may well have to carry out his threat of starting a fresh agitation if the bill is not ready by 30 June.

The sharp differences between the government members and the non-government or 'civil society' members of the committee drafting the anti-graft bill were blown open today, with the government insisting that the prime minister, the higher judiciary, and senior bureaucrats should be outside the bill's purview.

Hazare, who is a member of the drafting committee, admitted that he was not hopeful of the government meeting the deadline of 30 June for finalising the bill.

At today's meeting of the committee, with finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, as chairman, several contentious issues came up for discussion in the committee for the first time.

Arvind Kejriwal and Prasahant Bhushan, both civil society members of the committee, told newspersons in New Delhi that except on the one issue of keeping public grievances under the jurisdiction of the Lokpal, the government members opposed most of the other demands.

Kejriwal said the government's latest proposals were "worse" than what its members had proposed in its first bill, which had already been "condemned and rejected".