Ramdev opposes bringing PM under ambit of Lokpal

Sehore (Madhya Pradesh) / New Delhi, May 31: Differences appeared to have cropped up in the civil society over the demand for inclusion of the Prime Minister and higher judiciary in the Lokpal Bill with Baba Ramdev opposing such a move.

The yoga guru, to whom the government deputed the topmost tax official to convince him on the steps taken by government against black money, wondered at a press conference in Sehore how top positions like the Prime Minister and Chief Justice of India could be brought under the ambit of Lokpal.

At the same time, he said that he did not want to go into the controversial issue and involve himself in a public debate on that.

Baba Ramdev, who lent support to Anna Hazare in his campaign against corruption when he went on a fast in Jantar Mantar, however, refused to call off his own fast from June 4 till government conceded all his demands.

Reacting to Baba''s comments, Arvind Kejriwal, one of the members of the joint committee on drafting the Lokpal Bill, said they would try to convince him about inclusion of the Prime Minister in the Lokpal ambit.

He said probably the yoga guru may not be aware of the full implications of the issue and they would try to convince him why it was necessary.

Kejriwal said if the Prime Minister was kept out of the Lokpal, then there could be ten departments under him which would straight away come out of the anti-corruption watchdog.

Then other ministers can also ask the bribe-givers to pass on all the bribes to the Prime Minister who enjoys immunity. "If the Prime Minister becomes corrupt then nothing can be done about it," he said.

PTI