Govt unhappy with Anna ultimatum on Lok Pal

Unhappy with the ultimatum set by Anna Hazare on the Jan Lok Pal issue, a senior minister today said Government is committed to bring a "strong and effective" Lok Pal Bill to deal with corruption but made it clear that this cannot be done by "putting a pistol on someone's neck".

"You cannot get something done by putting a pistol on someone's neck," said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Bansal, maintaining that the Parliamentary Standing Committee was looking into it and collecting views of its members on it.

His comments came a day after Hazare warned the Congress that if the Jan Lok Pal Bill was not passed in the coming winter session of Parliament, he would campaign in five election-bound states asking people not to vote for the party.

"It will be a sincere endeavour to see that the Bill is taken up during the next winter session. But it depends upon the work the Committee is able to do. The Committee has members from all the parties and they are getting inputs from different people who want to come before it," Bansal said.

He said that there should not be any problem in taking up the Bill in the next session, if the Committee is able to give its report in due time.

Asking Hazare to have faith in the democratic setup of the country, he said, "The Bill has already gone to Parliament. Important thing is to make a good and effective law after consultation with every one."

Law Minister Salman Khurshid said, "Our intention and endeavor is to try and bring it (Lok Pal Bill) in the winter session. Bring a very effective and very powerful Lok Pal with Constitutional status."

Asked about the time line to pass the Bill, he said, "I cannot fix the time line because it has to be fixed by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee looking into it."