Team Anna attacks govt, says new Lokpal bill unacceptable
"If the CBI is outside, then how will the Lokpal be strong? This system will save corrupt politicians. If CBI comes under Lokpal then (Home Minister) P Chidambaram will be in jail. You are saving corrupt politicians and say it is a strong Lokpal," Hazare told reporters in Ralegan Siddhi.
"It is cheating people who will teach them a lesson," he said adding he will campaign against the UPA in Uttar Pradesh and other four states going to polls early next year. Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said the new bill will do "more harm than doing good" to the existing anti-graft machinery.
Another member Justice Santosh Hegde said there was some "ego problem" with government in accepting certain suggestions in Jan Lokpal bill while Kiran Bedi claimed that the agency will remain under government control till immunity is given for past acts of corruption by political parties.
"The Lokpal Bill will not have even investigating powers. You will complain to Lokpal but it cannot investigate. What Lokpal is the government setting up? It means the government is cheating people," Kejriwal said.
Hegde said with CBI out of Lokpal's control, what it does will be like departmental enquiry. "This is certainly unacceptable," he said.
Bedi said on micro-blogging site Twitter, "The bill is not path breaking but breaking the path. Thank you Sonia G."
"It appears till a provision for immunity is guaranteed for past acts of corruption, political parties will ensure CBI remains in government control," she said, adding it was now 'Save CBI' campaign.
Bedi
also
appealed
to
BJP
leaders
Sushma
Swaraj
and
Arun
Jaitley
to
help
getting
CBI
out
of
government
control.
"Will
you
(Swaraj)
and
Mr
(Arun)
Jaitley
get
us?"
she
asked.
She
said,
"Have
you
ever
heard
of
creating
an
investigating
body
without
any
investigating
body?
Are
we
dumb
citizens
who
can
be
given
anything?"
"This kind of Lokpal be better not passed or else it will destroy whatever is left of CBI. The government is creating an anti-corruption body without any wherewithal for investigation. Who is fooling whom?" she asked.
She
said
sensex
will
come
up
once
public
money
is
secure
and
trust
deficit
is
reduced.
In
August,
Kejriwal
said,
when
the
bill
was
introduced
it
gave
Lokpal
investigative
powers
though
it
was
"weak"
in
many
respects.
"This
new
bill
has
totally
destroyed
the
concept
instead
of
making
it
strong.
The
existing
system
of
CBI
is
being
broken,"
he
said.
Hegde said, "The government itself seems to have expressed some favourable things in this matter earlier but when the bill is accepted by Cabinet, we see that it is far below our expectations."
He said Lokpal should have control over investigation.
"The new bill gives enquiry powers to Lokpal but investigation power is with an agency which is not under its control," he said.
PTI