PM out of govt draft on Lok Pal Bill

The civil society and the government today failed to arrive at a common draft on Lok Pal Bill over which there were major differences as the official version excluded the Prime Minister from its purview.

Maintaining that they "agreed to disagree", HRD Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters after an hour-long meeting that differences could not be resolved on around eight key issues.

A draft Bill, which could be a combination of views of both the sides or separate, will be taken up by the Union Cabinet before introduction in Parliament during the Monsoon Session.

The key issues on which differences remained even after the ninth and last meeting of the 10-member panel included bringing the Prime Minister, higher judiciary and acts of MPs inside Parliament within the purview of the Lok Pal, the mode of selection and removal of its members.

The government draft which was unveiled at the meeting excludes the Prime Minister, said activist Arvind Kejriwal.

Expressing "deep disappointment" over the government draft, the Anna Hazare team said the model proposed by it was just a "symbolic attempt" to install an authority in the name of Lok Pal rather than a "comprehensive, independent, empowered" institution to fight corruption.

"They gave their draft, we gave our draft and there was a short discussion...On important issues there was no agreement. These are six issues [on which views have been sought from political parties] and one or two more issues," Sibal told reporters after an hour-long meeting.

"We agreed to disagree," he said adding, the differences related to changing the existing system of governance.