Nitish expresses inability to comment on Lokpal Bill

Patna, Jun 3: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today (June 3) expressed his inability to give his opinion on the proposed Lokpal Bill as he claimed that the Centre had not prepared any draft.

"After reading Union Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee's letter it is explicit that the Centre has not yet prepared the final draft of the proposed Lokpal bill. At this stage any comment from my end will be premature and not in consonance with the spirit of the Constitution," Kumar told reporters here.

The stage to seek views of the states would arrive only when the draft bill was ready and it would be inappropriate to express any opinion without looking into the contents of the final draft, he said.

"I was conveyed by the Resident Commissioner of Bihar in New Delhi that he had received Mukherjee''s letter without any number and date on June 1, 2011," Kumar said.

Opposing the questionnaire seeking his response in a forma, he said "It is rather surprising that on a such vital issue responses of the chief ministers and other stake holders are being sought in such a casual and hurried manner."

He also said it was the responsibility of the Centre to finalise the draft of the bill to be presented before Parliament and different political parties have their representatives there to debate the issue.

PTI