Samajwadi Party (SP), the lone party to protest against the lokpal Bill, staged a walkout from the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday saying the statute will paralyse decision making and it will not be a party to this paap (crime) allegedly perpetrated against the people of the country.
Defending his party’s decision to oppose the Bill to fight corruption in high places, SP chief in the Upper House Ramgopal Yadav said the Constitution maintained that a person is innocent till proven guilty. However, the situation was the other way round now and everyone was now painted as guilty from the Prime Minister to an MP and Cabinet Secretary to the lowest Government functionary, he said.
Allowed to put SP’s point of view by the Chair as soon as the debate started on the Bill, Yadav said officers and political masters were now scared of taking decisions fearing persecution and gave the example of Defence Ministry. He claimed the Army had not got a single long range artillery gun in the last 25 years since the Bofors scandal and several critical Defence procurements were now put on hold.
Expressing apprehensions over paralysis in governance once the Bill becomes an act, Yadav said even the Prime Minister will not be spared if he takes a quick decision to safeguard the interest of the country. He said the Prime Minister may have to take decisions to protect the security of the country and will be hauled up for irregularities.
Putting across his reservations on the Bill, Yadav said the Constitution was framed by the “intellectual cream” of the country, including Jawaharlal Nehru and BR Ambedkar. The subsequent years saw a bid to subvert the Constitution and this is a matter of serious concern, the SP leader said. He also questioned the process of appointment of the lokpal and said the political leaders were always in the public eye as they were there to look after the interest of the people at all times of the day. However, this could not be said about Government functionaries and the Bill would provide retired officials a parking space in the lokpal machinery, Yadav claimed.
leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley differed and said the anti-corruption law will not put a spoke in decision making. Instead, the law will make governance more transparent and help the government servants and political leaders to take decisions fearlessly without prejudice, he said.