Following The Pioneer report on Delhi Jan lokpal Bill 2015 which is likely to be tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Monday, a fresh round of confrontation has started in the National Capital as Swaraj Abhiyaan leaders senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan and his father Shanti Bhushan, former law Minister, trashed the AAP Government’s Jan lokpal Bill, describing it as ‘shocking’ and ‘a big joke’.
Meanwhile, hitting back at Shanti and Prashant Bhushan, AAP has claimed that they were opposing the Jan lokpal Bill at the behest of BJP and asserted that the proposed legislation was similar to the one tabled by CM Arvind Kejriwal during his previous 49-day tenure. “This is the same bill which was introduced by the AAP Government (during its 49-day rule). Prashant ji was fine when the same bill was introduced during the AAP’s last Government,” AAP spokesperson Raghav Chadha said.
On the other hand, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas tweeted that nothing has been changed in the Jan lokpal Bill. His tweet read, “We are committed to the lokpal exactly what was drafted and committed at Ramlila Maidan; not even a comma/ full stop changed. If any scope of betterment is there, it will be thoroughly discussed in the house by the elected representatives of Delhi”.
The Pioneer had reported provisions of the Bill which is being tabled on Monday in the Delhi Assembly.
The two lawyers, who founded AAP with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and other anti-corruption activists, demanded Kejriwal’s resignation saying he had come to power on the promise of providing a strong and independent anti-corruption watchdog but failed. “He came into power for the Jan lokpal and has gone back on his words,” the former law Minister said.
Bhushan read out certain provisions of the draft Bill, that is yet to be made public by the Delhi Government. He claimed that Ministers and officials of the Centre were put under the ambit of the proposed legislation “deliberately” to provoke confrontation. He said Kejriwal does not like to be questioned like “Modi” so he has chosen not to make the contents of the Bill public.
“No activist or movement in India’s history has played such a big fraud with people. This will only ensure that the Central Government does not approve and the Bill never gets passed. Kejriwal never had the intention to form a strong lokpal body,” the former AAP leader said.
Dissident AAP MlA Pankaj Pushkar, who was also present at the press conference at Bhushan’s Noida residence, claimed that he had managed to get hold of its copy in his capacity as a member of the Business Advisory Committee. Bhushan questioned the appointment and removal processes of the lokpal laid out in the Bill, which was recently cleared by the AAP Cabinet, saying they would put the Ombudsman at the mercy of the city Government.
The Bill says that a four-member selection committee, comprising the CM, Speaker, loP and Delhi HC Chief Justice would appoint the lokpal, while the removal can be ensured by a motion in the Assembly with two-thirds majority. “Even the Centre’s lokpal Act, which has been termed as jokepal by Kejriwal, is stronger than this Bill. This is a ‘mahajokepal’. Kejriwal must resign from office,” senior Bhushan said.