BJP leader Arun Jaitley spoke exclusively to NDTV ahead of today's all-party meeting on the contentious issue of the Lokpal Bill. Here are the highlights of what Mr Jaitley told NDTV:
- Need Lokpal which is strong, independent & not misused
- Lokpal a governance issue, not one upmanship game
- We may be close to a resolution on Lokpal
- We are hopeful of a political consensus
- The opposition and the government have been in informal talks to evolve a consensus
- This time I can't say the opposition and government haven't spoken
- Inclusion of PM a non-negotiable issue, safeguards negotiable
- The main sticking point is the investigative independence of the CBI
- CBI director must be appointed through an independent mechanism
- Investigative functions of CBI should not be interfered with
- The Lokpal can have a right of appeal over the Citizens' Charter
- Agree and disagree with Anna Hazare
- Anna's is not a BJP movement
- Team Anna kept political parties strangers to movement