New Delhi: In a new development, UPA ministers on Sunday met to finalise the draft on Lokpal Bill, sources have said.
Senior ministers are meeting to finalise the Lokpal draft ahead of the Cabinet taking it up on Monday.
Sources said that it's now become clear that the Cabinet won't be taking up the Lokpal bill on Sunday evening. The Lokpal draft for the cabinet is not yet ready and so it is now expected to be taken up only on Monday, they said.
Instead, under pressure from UPA president Sonia Gandhi, the cabinet is taking up her pet project the Food Security Bill on Monday.
This was held over at the last cabinet meeting with NCP Chief Sharad Pawar questioning how the government will raise the Rs 90 thousand crore needed for the project.
Anna Hazare, who is campaigning in Chennai is cutting short his south tour and is expected to return to Delhi on Monday.
While speaking in Chennai, he said, "I was able to remove 6 ministers from their post, if you (citizen) decides to remove one corrupt it will change the course of country."
"This movement has done one good thing, it has awaken the true master of democracy, citizens," he said.
Anna said, "PM had given as an assurance. It is now important for him to fulfill what he promised . BJP and Mayawati supported us. If they (Govt) bring the bill in this session then we will conduct a welcome program for them."
On his Mumbai fast, he said, "The Standing Committee fiddled with the Lokpal Bill which was proposed earlier. What kind of government is this? Our protest venue will depend on the weather. If the weather is good in Delhi then we will protest in Delhi. If it isn't we'll go to Mumbai's Azad Maidan."
Congress Spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "Standing committee on Lokpal has given report on 24 complex issue in miraculous time. It is not right to keep minute by minute record."
"A government can only bring a bill in Parliament. No government can guarantee its passage. Let us see how the forthcoming week evolves," Singhvi said.
On the inclusion of CBI, Singhvi said, "Let's not speculate on what the content of the bill is. It will be tabled in the Parliament within 48 hours."
Singhvi's remarks came at a time when Anna Hazare upped the ante on the Lokpal issue, and has threatened to launch a fast on December 27 if the Lokpal Bill is not passed in Winter Session of Parliament.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already said his government will make all the effort to pass the Bill in the ongoing Winter Session and that there should be no doubt about government's sincerity in this regard.
The Prime Minister, at the same time, has said one cannot speculate what would happen to the Lokpal once it is in Parliament.
Singhvi, who is also the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Lokpal, also took a dig at Hazare and his team saying they should have "far greater congruence in preaching and practice".
"Describing the entire political class repeatedly as 'goondas' or suggestions by other political parties or in the Standing Committee report as 'worthless' is not going to get a strong Lokpal Bill," he said.
"Both democracy and Gandhism preach non-violence not only in action but also in words. Therefore, there should be a far greater congruence in preaching and practice," Singhvi remarked.
(With additional inputs from PTI)
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