Team Anna rejects Parl panel's recommendations on Lokpal

New Delhi, Dec 7: Rejecting the recommendations of parliamentary panel on Lokpal Bill, Team Anna on Wednesday claimed that they will not have any impact on corruption and will instead dismantle the existing anti-graft mechanism.

"I think the recommendations of the (parliamentary) standing committee, whatever they are, the Lokpal which is coming, I don't think this will have any impact on corruption. On the contrary, it is likely to dismantle whatever exists in the name of anti-corruption in this country," activist Arvind Kejriwal said.

Claiming that the standing committee proposes to divide CBI into three parts, Kejriwal said the move will cripple the investigating agency.

"So by taking excuse of Anna andolan rather than strengthening the anti-corruption system, they seem to further weaken whatever exists," he said.

Asked whether Anna Hazare will go ahead with his proposed fast, he said it was for the Gandhian to take a call. "As far as fast is concerned, it is Anna who is going to decide."

"All that I can say is we are committed till the end for a strong Lokpal Bill," he added.

Kejriwal was of the view that it was "extremely difficult" at this stage to say anything because standing committee's recommendations were not final.

"The government can accept or go further than that. So let's wait and watch and only then we will be able to tell what form," he said.

Kejriwal said that citizen's charter and lower bureaucracy both would not be part of Lokpal.

"We have learnt that many parties within standing committee have protested over it but even such recommendations are still made," he said.

On the panel's recommendation that Group C and D employees would be covered under CVC, he said, "CVC has only 230 employees. How can these 230 employees keep a track of 57 lakh employees. You need to have at least 28,000 employees."

PTI