The Bharatiya Janata Party, which differs with several clauses of the new Lokpal Bill, would move a number of amendments, including one seeking supervisory and administrative control of the CBI under the Lokpal when the Bill comes up for discussion and passage in the Lok Sabha on December 27.
The Leader of the Opposition, Sushma Swaraj, has already gone on record at the time of introduction of the Bill on Monday saying that her party was against provision of reservation for minorities on the Lokpal panel and inclusion of Lokayuktas under Article 253 of the Constitution.
The party, which believes that the clauses in the Bill pertaining to the two issues were violative of the Constitution, would move amendments seeking their annulment. The BJP is also opposed to the idea of reservation for women on the Lokpal panel, but is not expected to make an issue of it.
Senior party leaders were at pains to emphasise that the party per se was not opposed to the principle of reservation for women and its position on the Lokpal was essentially based on the surmise that since there was no provision in the Constitution for reservation for women, it could be struck down by a court of law.
Reservation sought to be given to minorities and women on the Lokpal panel has not exactly come as a surprise to the party. Last week, in the course of a discussion on the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill, the Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee had informed BJP leaders about the intent of the government.
A senior leader of the party said that after a ‘quick read' of the new Bill the jurisdiction of the Lokpal over the CBI was one major issue on which the party would not compromise its stand. The leader said the government Bill, which virtually keeps the CBI out of the purview of the Lokpal, was totally unacceptable.
In the dissent note appended to the Parliamentary Standing Committee, which considered the Lokpal Bill, the NDA members on the Committee had recommended that not only the Lokpal be ‘independent and autonomous' but also have supervisory and administrative control over the CBI.
“We believe that in recent years the CBI has seriously compromised itself as an institution because it is under the control of the Central government,” the NDA dissent note said.
