By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) does not want the Lokpal bill to be passed so that it can make it an issue in the upcoming assembly polls to five states, Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said Tuesday.
Participating in the debate in the Lok Sabha on the anti-graft bill, Sibal said: “BJP wants that this bill does not get passed… their politics is not to allow Lokpal. Tell that government is bringing a weak Lokpal and then go to the election-bound states. They have nothing to do with strong Lokpal.”
Charging BJP with “political conspiracy”, Sibal said the party will go to activist Anna Hazare if the bill is not passed.
He said while opposition parties want a strong anti-corruption ombudsman at the centre, they were not keen on a bill for effective Lokayuktas in states.
“If the bill is passed, it will be written in golden letters. If it is defeated, the people will not forgive you,” he said.
Sibal challenged the BJP to make a declaration that it will pass in two months a strong Lokayukta bill in states ruled by it.
Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj responded by saying that the party had paved the way by passing a “model” Lokayukta bill in Uttarakhand.
Sibal also accused the BJP of not making “constructive suggestions” in the debate.
“No constructive suggestion how to fight corruption. BJP should not let the country down,” he said.
He said Lokayukta bills in opposition-ruled states did not have a sweeping jurisdiction over employees and chief ministers were involved in the appointment process.
“There they say chief minister will appoint Lokayukta,” Sibal said and referred to the row in Gujarat over the Lokayukta’s appointment.
He said corruption encountered by the common man had mostly to do with services rendered by state governments.
“State services, real corruption is there. Patwari does not work, people do not get ration, no place in hospitals… real issues which affect people are with state governments,” Sibal said.
He also took a dig at BJP over the removal of B.S. Yeddyurappa as Karnataka chief minister over corruption charges.
“They adopt corruption in states and say here that there is a lot of corruption. This is the reality,” Sibal said.