Guna (MP)/New Delhi, Jun 12 : In comments at variance with UPA government's stand, Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh favours bringing the Prime Minister and higher judiciary under the purview of Lokpal.
“My view is that the Prime Minister, Judiciary, NGOs and industrial houses should also be brought under the ambit of Lokpal. But there should be a system to ensure that the Lokpal does not misuse its power,” Singh told reporters at his Madhyaa Pradesh hometown Raghogarh last evening.
“When I was the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, I had brought the CM's post under the purview of Lokayukta (Ombudsman),” he said.However, in an apparent reference to civil rights activists like Anna Hazare, Singh said “exerting of pressure” on government by a few people was not right in a democratic system.
Congress sources however dismissed Singh's views saying the party will go by the view point of the government on the issue of bringing the Prime Minister and other top posts under the ambit of the anti-corruption body.
Senior party functionaries speaking on the condition of anonymity in Delhi said: “The party will support whatever view is formulated by the government on it. Since the party has already left it to the government to decide on the issue, how can we have a different view ? Party's view is what Pranab Mukherjee has said.”
At the meeting of the joint committee on May 30 to prepare the draft for Lokpal Bill, representatives from the government and civil society had differences on the issue of bringing prime minister and higher judiciary under the jurisdiction of Lokpal.
Government representatives had said at the meeting that any move to bring the prime minister under the purview of Lokpal will make him dysfunctional.There is a view in the government that such a movecould lead to many complications. PTI
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