New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has reportedly conceded a major change to his anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill, which is likely to win him the support of the main opposition party, the BJP.
The bill creates an ombudsman or "Lokpal" empowered to investigate and prosecute allegations of corruption among government officers. The proposal was the engine of Mr Kejriwal's campaign for the Delhi election, but had been tagged by critics as over-reaching.
Sources say that Mr Kejriwal has, in response, amended the bill so that the ombudsman will not decide the punishment for a convicted officer; a court will decide the penalty.
The bill has also been revised so that officers under investigation will no longer be suspended by the ombudsman - they can only recommend to the department that the accused official works in.
While the bill is being recalibrated, it remains entangled in a conflict over when it can be reviewed by Delhi law-makers. Mr Kejriwal has flat out refused to accept the centre's opinion that procedurally, the bill must be vetted by the union Home Ministry before it is presented to the Delhi legislature.
Mr Kejriwal has declared that a special session to review the bill will begin on Sunday at a city stadium, a typically unorthodox move. He has rejected concerns by the Delhi Police about providing security at the venue, where he has invited the public. "If the police cannot even protect a stadium, how will it keep an entire city safe?" he asked yesterday.
The 45-year-old has repeatedly promised that his government's policies will be based on public participation; his swearing-in ceremony in December was held at a large public park.
The former tax inspector pinned his campaign on a promise to cleanse the polity of corruption. His Aam Aadmi Party, formed a little over a year ago, made a dazzling debut in the Delhi election, encouraging its leaders to quickly expand their plans for the national election due by May.