All employees should come under Lokpal: Anna
NEW DELHI: On Wednesday Differences have cropped in the Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on the Lokpal Bill, especially over the inclusion of Group C bureaucrats.
According to sources, there was U-turn by the Congress members who demanded removal of Group C bureaucrats from the ambit of Lokpal, while BJP, CPM, BSP, SP demanded their inclusion.
They said that why Congress was backtracking as this has gone against the sense of Parliament given by Pranab Mukherjee in August.
Source said, BJP leaders wanted inclusion of Group C as dissent. There was no discussion on the Prime Minister inclusion in Lokpal.
Decision to exclude Group C was taken after core group meeting. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Law Minister Salman Khurshid had met congress core group on this issue, sources added.
BJD MP Pinaki Mishra raised the issue that inclusion of Group C in Lokpal would make it unmanageable.
Congress’s argument was that they can come under CVC which should submit report every 2 months to Lokpal.
On CBI, BJP MP Ram Jethmalani and Pinaki Mishra said that independent panel consisting of the Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition and Lokpal should appoint the CBI director.
On the meeting, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare said, “I don’t know what has happened in the meeting. I am yet to be briefed. I will comment later. All employees should come under Lokpal.”
