The Communist Party of India (CPI) has accused the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party of colluding to prevent the passage of the Lokpal Bill in Parliament.
It alleged that though the leaders of the two parties were criticising one another in public, they had reached an understanding to not allow the amendments suggested by other Opposition parties. This was evident from the fact that the Congress and the BJP voted against the amendment suggested by the Left parties to bring corporates and non-governmental organisations within the Lokpal's purview, CPI deputy general secretary S. Sudhakar Reddy said.
The party's national council would meet here between January 3 and 6 to finalise the reports and resolutions on the latest political and economic developments ahead of the national congress slated to commence in Patna on March 27, he said.
The four-day meeting would discuss the impact of depreciation of the rupee on the economy and other issues which would form part of the resolutions.
Mr. Reddy told journalists that the party was in favour of independent functioning of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as it was being used by the governments as a tool to divide the Opposition parties. “The two parties indulged in mud-slinging rather than focussing on evolving a consensus,” he said.
According to him, the UPA coalition was inclined to avoid voting on the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha, making “lame excuses” like the timing of the functioning of the House. The House was adjourned without passing the Bill at a time when the government failed to initiate action in the 2G spectrum scam and Commonwealth Games irregularities.
