Prakash Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal is the sole member of the opposition to opine on the Lokpal Bill in response to Pranab Mukherjee’s request. The rest of the Opposition is keeping the cards close to the chest and their daggers behind the backs. Badal wants the Prime Minister to be out of the ambit of the Lokpal while he has no problem with the entire judiciary being in its purview.
The National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution set up by the NDA government and the second Reforms Commission of 2007, had also recommended that the Prime Minister must be kept out of the jurisdiction of the Lokpal. Their contention has been similar to Badal’s: “…the Prime Minister occupies a unique position…. It is his image, his reputation and his personality that pervades the entire government,… he attracts a good amount of opposition, criticism, allegations and what not. If a Lokpal were to take up each and every allegation or accusation made against the Prime Minister by a political party or a group or a person, it would hobble the Prime Minister in an effective discharge of his functions. He cannot afford to remain under a cloud all the time nor can the nation afford a Prime Minister under a cloud all the time”.
Anna Hazare’s team must adopt a flexible position if they expect the Bill to be tabled in the parliament in the first week of July. Once the Bill is tabled in the parliament its progress is quite out of control of the government. It is the parliament which passes a Bill. In threatening to go on fast from 16th of August, Anna Hazare will be blackmailing the Indian Parliament.
Dr Mookhi Amir Ali
Mumbai, M.S.