UPA’s over-enthusiasm for lokpal is amusing
The furtive manner in which the discredited Congress-led UPA Government is seeking to push through the appointment of the country's first lokpal, is hilarious to say the least. We have a strange situation where an outgoing Prime Minister is hoping to engage an outgoing lok Sabha Speaker, an outgoing leader of Opposition and an outgoing Chief Justice of India to finalise the appointment of the anti-corruption ombudsman. The selection should be left to the new Government which will, after securing the people's mandate, take charge sometime next month or early June. There is absolutely no need to rush through at this stage, more so since lawmakers have already consumed decades before they came around to passing the lokpal Bill in Parliament. But Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is keen to be seen working till the end, which is why he has reportedly called for a meeting of the selection committee on April 27 and 28 to decide on the appointment of the lokpal. He has done this despite knowing that political leaders on the panel are busy in electioneering across the country. In any case, it is unlikely that any of them is jumping with enthusiasm to meet the deadlines that the Government has in mind. The decision to call the meeting is just another attempt by the Congress and the regime it leads to press ahead the propaganda that, while they are committed to the establishment of the anti-corruption ombudsman, the Opposition continues to waver and delay. Unfortunately for the Congress, far too much has happened over the last five years for the people to be convinced by such trickery. The proliferation of various scams and the repeated inability of the Prime Minister and the party's high command to contain them have been documented ad nauseam . In such a sordid backdrop, neither Mr Singh nor his party can recover lost credibility by at this late stage pitching for the appointment of a lokpal — and definitely not when they had done everything in their might to delay the process and woke up only after Anna Hazare's movement.
What is also amusing is that the Prime Minister (or should we say Ms GandhiIJ) wants to proceed with the appointment by ignoring the issues that eminent jurists who have pulled out of the selection process, have raised. Justice KT Thomas opted out of the search panel, having questioned its relevance since its recommendations were non-binding on the Government, and Fali Nariman refused to join the panel saying that the process as decided upon would end up overlooking the most competent persons. The Opposition too expressed its reservations in the wake of these dissenting voices. Instead of addressing the concerns that have been raised and doing suitable course correction, the Union Government appears to be simply ignoring the problem and plodding ahead.
In all probability, the reported meeting for the month-end may either be eventually called off or could end without going beyond the tea-and-biscuits formality. It is also possible that the move may be questioned for its legitimacy, coming as it does in the mist of an election when the Model Code of Conduct is in force. Whatever, it appears that like many other leftover issues, the appointment of the lokpal will land in the new regime's basket.