What Mr. Advani was doing when he was in power : Mukherjee
KOLKATA: “As far as the UN convention on graft is considered, there is a long legal procedure. The convention would be ratified shortly,” Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said on Monday.
The India signed the UN convention against corruption six years back but is yet to ratify the convention mainly due to domestic legal hassles; Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee pointing out that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had not passed the Lokpal Bill when it was in power.
The Finance Minister questioned BJP leader L.K. Advani’s stance on supporting the anti-graft Lokpal Bill. Mukherjee said it was good that he was supporting it now but asked what he was doing when he was in power.
“A joint drafting committee has been formed with five representatives from civil society nominated by Anna Hazare and five representatives nominated by the prime minister. This committee will discuss the Lokpal Bill. Now many people are saying many things.”
Anna Hazare break his 97-hour hunger strike on Saturday with a happy note after the government conceded his demand for representation of the civil society in the drafting panel of the anti-graft bill.
