Daggers drawn on Lokpal as LS prepares to decide bill's fate -Governance Now

Daggers drawn on Lokpal as LS prepares to decide bill's fate

Anna upset with draft, Lalu wants quota and Sonia ready for a fight

Prasanna Mohanty | December 22, 2011

Battles lines have been drawn clearly over the Lokpal bill. The bill will be introduced in Lok Sabha later this afternoon and will immediately be taken up for discussion and passage so that it could then be moved to Rajya Sabha. The winter session has been extended by three days, post-Christmas, to ensure that the bill is passed and sent for the presidential nod before the new year sets in and Anna Hazare begins his jail bharo andolan.

See updates from parliament

Read the text of the Lokpal Bill, attached below

The emotions are running high. After UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi adopted a combative posture yesterday saying that her party was "ready for a fight" against malicious misinformation and forces out to "destabilise" her government (read: Sonia to fight for Lokpal, women's quota), the Congress members are geared up to counter all opposition to get the bill passed. Anna Hazare has, in the meanwhile, declared that he would go ahead with his three day fast from December 27 in Mumbai and then start a ‘jail bharo’ andolan against the government’s attempt to present a weak and ineffective anti-corruption legislation. (Read: Anna to Sonia: How is this lokpal strong?)

The main opposition party, the BJP, may seem willing to go along with the government, except for some amendments it plans to move, the real challenge will come from the Yadav troika – Lalu Prasad, Mulayam Singh and Sharad Yadav – who had foiled the government’s earlier attempt to introduce women’s reservation bill in the lower house. The troika is worried that the legislation will usher in a ‘police raj’. It is also opposed to the government’s rush to have the bill cleared in this very session.

Comments

Other News

Who checks the books?

I read about the news about the Coimbatore library over coffee this morning. On the face of it, the headline was about a political ‘war’ between the DMK and TVK. But what stayed with me was something much more important than the blame game behind what had transpired. A writer walking through

Development paradox: Falling poverty miracle and an inequality problem

India’s reduction in poverty over the past decade is a development achievement of considerable significance. The World Bank’s April 2026 ‘India Development Update’ estimates that the share of Indians living below the international extreme-poverty line of $3.00 per person per day i

In Arunachal, a river we call mother

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Siang is not just a river. For many of us, especially the Adi people, it is part of our family. Our grandparents fished in it. Children learned to swim in it. Our farms drink from it. When someone says a huge dam will be built on it, we do not hear the word "project".

A new retelling of the Mahabharata delves into key moments

In a time when every decision carries consequences and questions of ambition, power, loyalty, identity and moral choice continue to shape our lives, Dr. Arun Krishnan’s new book, ‘Mahakshana’ (Penguin India) offers a strikingly relevant retelling of the Mahabharata.

Cabinet approves viability gap funding to develop grid-scale energy storage systems

The Union Cabinet, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, has approved the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) Scheme for Development of Grid-Scale Energy Storage Systems, with a total financial support of Rs.14,500 crore for the period FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. The scheme aims to support the development o

Cabinet creates a pathway to absorb Agniveers in Defence Forces

An objective assessment in terms of organisational requirements and operational efficiency has brought out the outstanding performance of Agniveers in terms of skills, motivation levels, physical fitness and technological prowess. As envisaged earlier, based on merit, 25% of Agniveers will be offered reg