Sonia takes the centrestage; guns for Anna to accept Lokpal

New Delhi, Dec 21: Asserting that she will fight for the passage of the Lokpal bill in Parliament, a combative Congress President Sonia Gandhi today (Dec 21) hit out at the Opposition for "obstructionist" tactics and Team Anna for "deliberate and malicious" criticism of the Government.

"We are being criticised and attacked for not tackling the scourge of corruption. This is deliberate and malicious misinformation," Gandhi told the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting without referring to Team Anna or Anna Hazare, who has threatened to go on a fast from Dec 27 over the Lokpal issue.

"I will fight for Lokpal and women's reservation issue", she told reporters close on the heels of telling the Parliamentary Party, "I cannot see any reason for us to be defeatist". She said that to tackle the issue of corruption, three bills with major implications are to be passed soon--those relating to the protection of whistle blowers, enhancing judicial accountability, strengthening anti-money laundering operations and controlling bribery of Indian public officials by foreign companies.

PTI