New Delhi, Aug 20: A Parliamentary committee examining the Lokpal Bill today sought suggestions from public within 15 days, making it clear that the August 30 deadline set by Anna Hazare on passing the anti-corruption legislation would not be met.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Personnel issued an advertisement in dailies outlining salient features of the Bill and asking people to send their opinions and suggestions within 15 days.
While 15 days is the standard time given byParliamentary panels to people or organisations to send feedback on bills, the time-frame in this case makes it clear that the deadline of August 30 set by Hazare for passing the Lokpal Bill will not be met.
Soon after the bill was introduced in Lok Sabha on August 4, the Rajya Sabha Chairman had referred it to the Committee and given it three months to give recommendations. The Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Personnel is serviced by the Rajya Sabha Secretariat and is headed by a Rajya Sabha member - in this case Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
Soon after the bill was referred to it, the Committee had invited team Hazare to place its views before the panel. The Hazare team appeared before the Committee later.
Home Minister P Chidambaram recently said Hazare was free to give his views to the panel once again. Reacting to the newspaper advertisement, Hazare‘s associate Arvind Kejriwal said it appeared to be an exercise which will waste the time of people and Parliamentarians.
“We appeared before the Standing Committee earlier and told them that the present bill is actually for promotion of corruption and save the corrupt people,” he said. PTI
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