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Journalism of Courage
In Lok Sabha and outside,how various leaders reacted to the tabling of the Lokpal amp; Lokayuktas Bill. Reservation for minorities was at the centre of much of the debate,as was the way this was introduced
The corrigendum
Gurudas Dasguptas echo: A supplementary list came out and after that,there was turmoil in the House; after that we got a corrigendum or in the name of a corrigendum,an amendment. Is it the way a constitutionally constituted Government should function? It is absolutely parliamentary mismanagement; and the government is acting in peril. You are representing the country the government is representing the country and we are representing the whole nation.
Mulayam Singh Yadav: A Bill should have been circulated among members before being introduced in the Lok Sabha. This was not done and the Bill is being introduced straight away. This is not in accordance with the rules8230; It is being assumed that all members of the Lokpal would be honest. Is it correct? Will the Lokpal not misuse powers and blackmail the government?8230; This Bill should not be allowed to be introduced.
Pranab Mukherjees response: Shri Yashwant Sinha has rightly said that a corrigendum normally deals with the factual errors,editorial mistakes,spelling mistakes or sometimes factual mistakes. It is actually a factual mistake. The original proposal was to include the minorities. Thereafter,we held some consultations with various political parties. A question was raised about the constitutional validity,whether it will be legally valid or tenable. Thereafter,there was further reflection on it. After that further reflection,it was decided that let us not sit in judgment and let the judiciary decide whether it will be constitutionally valid or not.
Attack on Anna
Gurudas Dasgupta: Let us not be afraid of anybody,least of all an ex-policeman,least of all an ex-bureaucrat,least of all somebody who pretends to be another Father of the Nation. There is only one Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. Let there be no one pretending to be so,let us not allow anybody. I am not naming anybody because it is not parliamentary practice. Let nobody pretend to be the single crusader against corruption. We fought against corruption. How did the JPC in Harshad Mehta case come about? How did the JPC in the 2G case come about? The Congress party also fought against corruption; BJP also fought; we also fought against corruption8230; Therefore,there is not a single crusader against corruption. Please do not be afraid of any individual. Please do not be afraid of another phase of a hunger-strike. Do not surrender the sovereignty of Parliament.
Lalu Prasad: He too hit out at Anna Hazare and his team. Three or four people cannot dictate to Parliament8230; Parliament cannot be run from the footpath. We are the lawmakers, the RJD chief said. If someone goes on fast for the benefit of his health,what do we have to do with it?8230; He Anna should pay attention to his health.
Minority quota
Sushma Swaraj: We are disappointed. The provision for not less than 50 per cent reservation for SCs,STs,OBCs,women and minorities in the proposed Lokpal,she said,violates the Surpeme Court ruling keeping the cap at 50 per cent. The provision would mean five members in a nine-member Bench,she said,calling the move for religion-based reservation patently unconstitutional. After the debate,she said,The BJP will move an amendment motion against the provision for reservation to minorities in the Lokpal Bill. This is against the Constitution which does not provide for reservation on the basis of religion. On the provisions on Lokayuktas,she said there was a breach of the federal structure as it was being done under Section 253,which made it mandatory for states.
Asaduddin Owaisi: He welcomed the reservation,saying that had this not been taken care of,a message would have gone that minorities are not capable of fighting corruption.
Lalu Prasad: Under pressure from the BJP and the RSS,the word minority was removed from the Bill last night. There was provision for reservation for SC/ST,women and minorities. This had been accepted in the all-party meeting, Lalu said outside Parliament. There is a conspiracy behind removing minority reservation from the Bill. If there is no reservation for minorities,there will be protests.
Mulayam Singh Yadav: He favoured reservation for minorities in the Lokpal Bill. He also wanted implementation of the Sachar Committee report on the status of Muslims.
Compiled from ENS amp; PTI reports and updates on LS website; photos by PTI
