In an apparent reference to the BJP’s criticism that the Prime Minister was the architect of orchestrated drama in the Rajya Sabha to avoid passage of the Lokpal Bill, Singh said that it was unfortunate that the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill could not be passed in the Rajya Sabha. However, he asserted that his Government was committed to the enactment of an effective Lokpal Act.
It is significant that Singh did not mention Lokayuktas which was a major source of resentment among regional parties like BSP, SP and even UPA allies Trinamool Congress and DMK — which felt that it was an attack on the federal structure with the Centre trying to infringe on the States’ right to create the anti-graft ombudsman.
Singh wished to put behind a “very difficult year” which apparently indicated the unease of his Government due to Anna Hazare’s agitation getting widespread public support while many scams like those related to 2G spectrum allocation, Adarsh Housing society and Commonwealth Games eroded his dispensation’s credibility.
“A revolution of rising expectations, fostered by the extraordinary reach of the electronic media and the connectivity provided by new social networking platforms, has kept Governments around the world on their toes. We in India have had our share of problems,” he pointed out and cited the slowdown of economy, rising inflation and concern about corruption moving to the centre stage as the problems that the country faced.
Terming corruption as a “serious problem”, he said, “Old forms of corruption have vanished, new forms of corruption have emerged which need to be tackled. Elimination of corruption is critical to support genuine entrepreneurship.”
However, tackling corruption calls for a multi-dimensional response, the PM said adding that Lokpal and Lokayuktas will only be one part of the solution.” The reform in the governance is required to bring more transparency and minimise discretion so that the scope of mis-governance is reduced, he admitted.
He claimed that the UPA Government has taken several “transformational” initiatives and listed introduction of Bills on Citizen’s Charter and Judicial Accountability in House. But these initiatives will take time to have full effect and asked people be patient.
Meanwhile, Congress also tried to allay the apprehensions that the UPA has put the Lokpal Bill in a cold storage and it would meet the fate of Women Reservation Bill which is pending for the past two decades.
“The Lokpal Bill is certainly not dead, it is not even in ICU neither in emergency ward. It is merely in the rest and recovery mode and will be back soon as a strong and sturdier Bill,” Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
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