Lokpal Bill: BJP not content with what's on offer

New Delhi: The government will introduce or table the Lokpal Bill in the Lok Sabha today but the BJP has already given the 70-page bill a poor review. The main opposition party says it will ask for major amendments to the anti-corruption bill. Many of the BJP's objections mirror those that have been flagged repeatedly by activist Anna Hazare.

The Lokpal refers to a new ombudsman with eight members and one chief whose job will be to investigate complaints of corruption against government servants. Anna says the ombudsman has been given no real powers. The BJP objects to the role of the CBI, and the extent of the immunity offered to the Prime Minister.  

The PM can be investigated for corruption if three-fourths of the Lokpal finds merit in a complaint against him or her. But the proceedings cannot be accessed through the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Like Anna and his team of activists, the BJP feels the CBI's administrative control should have been moved from the government to the Lokpal. Currently, the Bill allows the ombudsman to refer cases of corruption to the CBI, which will then update the ombudsman on those cases. The BJP says the Bill is designed to create confusion, with too much back and forth between the CBI and the Lokpal.

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The process for the removal of a member of Lokpal has also been questioned by the BJP on the grounds that the government plays too big a role. Similarly, when selecting the Lokpal, three of the five members of the search committee will be government appointees. Though the Leader of the Opposition is included, his or her dissent will carry no weight.