Bihar chief minister (CM) Nitish Kumar turned the table on the centre, refusing to give feedback on the current draft of the Lokpal Bill. Kumar termed the centre's decision to solicit feedback from states on the current draft as "a hurried move" and "unconstituional." The move was being largely seen as an attempt to shed responsibility of the proposed legislation on to the shoulders of states.

Kumar's defiance could set the tone for chief ministers of non-UPA ruled states on the issue.

In a letter to finance minister and Lokpal joint drafting committee chairman Pranab Mukherjee, the Bihar CM challenged the former's much vaunted political guile saying that soliciting feedback on a draft bill before it was "finalised" was in violation of constitutional norms. The standard procedure, it may be noted, is to invite the states' responses only after a bill has been presented in Parliament.While  Kumar acknowledged that prior feedback may be sought if the bill impinges state subjects, he noted that the centre's move was "premature" as it had not "firmed up" the contents.

Read the complete text of Kumar's letter in the attachments below.