Lokpal Bill to be placed in next Cabinet meeting

Sibal said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made a promise to the nation on the Lokpal Bill and the government will deliver that

PTI | July 22, 2011



Government today said the Lokpal Bill is ready and will be placed before the Union Cabinet for approval in its next meeting where a decision on whether to put the Prime Minister in its purview would be also be taken.

"The Lokpal Bill is now ready and it will be moved to the Cabinet. It will be placed before the Cabinet in the next meeting. As promised by UPA-II, by this government, we shall introduce this Bill as soon as possible in the Monsoon session of Parliament," Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters.

He maintained that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had made a promise to the nation on the Lokpal Bill and the government will deliver on that promise.

Asked if the Prime Minister would come within the ambit of the Lokpal as demanded by some political parties and civil society activists led by Anna Hazare, Sibal said, "Some suggestions were given during the all-party meeting. When the matter comes up before the Cabinet, the government will decide."

He, however, clarified that the five ministers, including him, in the Joint Drafting Committee were still of the opinion that the Prime Minister should be kept out of the purview of the Lokpal.

Sibal stated that the Lokpal Bill has provisions whereby any matter not being investigated by any agency like the CBI can go to the Lokpal.

"The Lokpal Bill is coming and we all want that a strong legislation should come in Parliament so that all these issues being raised are handed over to the Lokpal. BJP also wants this and we too want it," he said.

Asked about suggestions made by the civil society members in the Jan Lokpal Bill, Sibal said some points had been accepted and some rejected by the government.

"There is no provision for an individual to bring a Bill... If Anna Hazare wants to say something he can go to the Standing Committee later," Sibal said.

Making light of the "referendum" being conducted by the civil society activists on the Lokpal Bill, the minister said it was neither a referendum nor a survey.

Sibal insisted that corruption was a serious issue and referred to the recent controversy over the Karnataka Lokayukta report on illegal mining which indicts chief minister B S Yeddyurappa.

"It appears BJP will have to decide after introspection that it will have to accept the truth and whatever decision the Lokayukta has taken, BJP should take steps on it based on morality. This is a matter of corruption and is serious," he said.

The Minister evaded a question on whether Yeddyurappa should resign, maintaining that what he was saying makes things obvious.

He also took digs at the BJP for demanding resignations of union ministers based on the CAG report (in the 2G spectrum scam) and disrupting functioning of Parliament while not following the same norm for its chief minister.

"I think that some national parties must move away from the amoral position that they had before and travel to the moral position that they need to take on issues like these so that the doublespeak must end," Sibal said.

He asked the BJP to stop being in "denial mode" about Yeddyurappa's involvement in corruption. He said BJP's ideology itself is one of "double-standards".

Comments

 

Other News

How Rafi, Raj Kapoor helped pave the way for a great uranium deal

There`s a certain moment in diplomacy that`s too personal to be captured in a communiqué, too small to make the front page, but more revealing than the front page. This week, prime minister Narendra Modi reached Tashkent and, amid the pomp of state visits, managed to evoke the old Bollywood tunes

Distinguishing Fish 1 and Fish 2: The pragmatism behind India’s WTO ratification

 India became the 123rd WTO member to ratify the multilateral Agreement on Fisheries subsidies (AoFS) when it deposited the Instrument of Acceptance for Phase 1 on July 20, 2026. The ratification is restricted to disciplining Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU), protection for overfished

The 7% growth problem: Why the next 7% will be harder

India has become accustomed to hearing the 7% growth number. It is now less a milestone than an expectation. Yet the paradox is becoming clearer: maintaining 7% growth may be considerably harder than achieving it once. India’s real GDP grew 7.7% in FY2025–26, following growth of 6.5% in FY202

The Constitution cannot be altered: Justice Abhay Oka

Justice Abhay Oka, who retired from the Supreme Court in May 2025, has said that the Constitution of India cannot be altered. Explaining the landmark Kesavananda Bharati judgment (1973) on the basic structure of the Constitution, he said, “This is one judgment that has saved democracy in India.&rdq

How the flora and fauna evolved in the Indian subcontinent

Mammals of India  By A.J.T. Johnsingh and P.O. Nameer HarperCollins India in association with Bombay Natural History Society  

India`s renewable race is moving beyond megawatts

When Shell bought Sprng Energy in 2022, India`s renewable energy market appeared to offer precisely what global energy majors were seeking: scale, growth and a place in one of the world`s largest energy transitions. Four years later, Shell is selling the same business to Aditya Birla Group for an enterpris

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter