The Bharatiya Janata Party's Varun Gandhi has sought Speaker Meira Kumar's permission to introduce Team Anna Jan Lokpal Bill as a private member's Bill in the Lok Sabha. He said though the Bill “is not an entirely perfect piece of legislation, it is far better than several alternatives proposed including the Lokpal Bill introduced by the government.”
The Pilibhit MP told The Hindu that on Wednesday that he had called on the Speaker and expressed his desire to move the Bill. However, Lok Sabha Secretary-General T.K. Vishwanathan told Mr. Gandhi that since there was a ‘fiscal aspect' (which would entail expenditure to be incurred from the public exchequer for setting up the institution), the Bill was being referred to the President Prathibha Patil for her assent.
The issue of presidential assent and other logistics leave little scope for introduction of the Bill this session even if the Speaker were to waive the requirement of one-month notice for moving it. The session ends on September 8.
Many private member's Bills were not taken up in the past during an entire Lok Sabha and they lapsed. A repeat of the process was required in the new Lok Sabha.
