Bangalore, Apr 22 : The government intends to complete the draft of the Lokpal Bill by June 30 and table it in the monsoon session of parliament, Union Law Minister M Veerappa Moily said today.
With allegations levelled against some civil society members of the joint committee on the Lokpal bill, Moily said “we should not give more credence to such allegations. Arguments and counter-arguments should not dilute such an important step”.
“What is important is the dedication, willingness and determination to table the important bill. When the government is determined to table the bill, all others should cooperate”, Moily said.
To another question, Moily said the draft bill would be formulated by all the members of the joint committee. “All their views will be taken into account and the bill will be formulated through a consensus”.
He said even though social activist Anna Hazare did not indicate the deadline for drafting the Lokpal Bill, “suo moto we want to complete it (drafting) by June 30 and we aim to introduce the bill in the monsoon session of parliament”.
“Emotions aside, all of us need to work together to bring out a strong Lokpal Bill”, he said responding to a query on the threat by Karnataka Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde, a committee member, that he was contemplating to quit the panel as he was fed up with the allegations against its members.
Refusing to comment on the sense of hurt expressed by Hegde over Congress leader Digvijay Singh's statements, Moily said “people are entitled to their emotions. I would not like to comment on this. However, what is important is the implementation of a strong Lokpal Bill”. PTI
