Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday demanded a vote in Parliament on Anna Hazare’s Jan Lokpal Bill and moved motions in both houses.
In a bid to embarrass the government, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday demanded a vote in Parliament on Anna Hazare’s Jan Lokpal Bill and moved motions in both houses.
Sushma Swaraj, leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, moved a motion under rule 184 and Arun Jaitley, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, moved one under rule 168. Both motions include a debate and a vote on specific issues and are in tune with the demand that Team Anna has been making since Thursday afternoon.
Under rule 184, the BJP said it wanted a specific discussion instead of “a general seminar” as planned by the government. “Voting will make it clear who wants what,” the BJP’s Arun Jaitley said.
The party, which had so far not made its stand clear on Hazare’s bill and had even said that some parts of it were “not acceptable”, was on Friday seen aligning itself with Hazare.
Members of Team Anna had met the party leadership late on Thursday in an attempt to get its support in Parliament during a debate on the bill. On Friday, BJP leaders said they backed Anna Hazare’s bill with some amendments.
“In a dynamic and fast moving political debate we have slowly but surely evolved our position on every specific point,” Jaitley said. “Almost all political parties are converging in one direction and there is a larger consensus on several issues.”
Swaraj said the party moved this motion after the government failed to bring a motion on its own. “At 2.10pm I got a call that there will be a discussion on the Lokpal Bills on notice given by (East Delhi Congress MP) Sandeep Dikshit,” Swaraj said. “Most of the members had left for their homes.
The government took a casual approach to such a serious issue. While in the morning you allow Rahul Gandhi to give sermons, in the evening you allow Dikshit to give a statement. What is the message that the government is trying to give out?” The government gave a short notice for the debate, she said.
The BJP’s resolution is on “relevant issues” such as the quick enactment of an effective Lokpal Bill that would set up an independent institution to deal with the rampant corruption.
The second point seeks a resolution to have the PM under the Lokpal with certain safeguards such as granting him an exception in matters of national security and public order.
This, interestingly, is closer to the draft prepared by NAC member Aruna Roy and her colleagues.
The party also wants to create a mechanism for the appointment of Lokpals independent of a selection process that is not dominated by the government in power and also provide for an independent and autonomous CBI.
On the judiciary, the BJP sought a resolution that the proposed National Judicial Commission should regulate appointments and accountability. It also seeks a similar law for creation of Lokayuktas in the states.
The party also wants a separate law that would bring all levels of government servants under its ambit. Also, the party wants a comprehensive grievance redressal mechanism to deal with petty corruption that the aam aadmi faces every day.
But significantly, the BJP differed with Team Anna on keeping MPs under the Lokpal. The party felt that due consideration should be given to the provisions contained in Articles 105 (powers and privileges of MPs in Parliament) and Article 311 (protection to government servants).
“We want a constitutionally compatible law where all federal principles are respected,” Jaitley said.
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