Union Minister V Narayanasamy on Sunday said the “contentious” lokpal Bill will come up for discussion next month in Parliament.
“We are trying to pass the Bill in the Parliament. The Government has done a lot on lokpal. The Bill has been passed in lok Sabha. It went to Rajya Sabha, from there it was sent to a select committee. The committee gave its recommendation and now I have requested discussion on the Bill in Rajya Sabha. After April 22, we are ready to discuss on it,” Narayanasamy told reporters during National Editors' Conference here.
Narayanasamy, who is Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, also said that the successive Governments for the past 30 years have tried to pass the lokpal bill, and it is being wrongly considered as an outcome of agitation led by anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare and others.
“The impression has been created that Anna Hazare and others wanted the lokpal Bill to be brought. This impression had come into the minds of people may be through electronic media and print media, the kind of projection you have given to them.
“I would like to correct it slightly. This was not the initiative taken by them. In fact, successive Governments for the last 30 years have tried this. Several bills were brought before the Parliament and it could not be passed because there was no unanimity,” he said.
Narayanasamy claimed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had constituted a Group of Ministers on anti-corruption measures, months before Hazare started his agitation, to consider various matters including legislative and administrative to tackle corruption and improve transparency in the governance.
To a question whether the proposed anti-corruption Bill lokpal will be able to check graft at lower levels, crucial for service delivery, the Minister said all categories of employees would come under the jurisdiction of the Central Vigilance Commission which can recommend action to the lokpal.
Narayanasamy said the Government is also working on the amendments in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to check private sector bribery. “Prevention of Corruption Act is being amended to punish the bribe giver also. Till now only bribe taker was being punished. Now the bribe giver will also come under its ambit,” he said.
To a series of questions on the controversial CBI raid at DMK leader MK Stalin's house, the Minister denied reports that he was summoned by Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi on the matter.
“Madam Gandhi did not call me. Nobody can call me and tell me about CBI investigations.... The investigation process is entirely in the domain of CBI. I can only consider promotion, transfer of CBI. That's all I can see,” he said.