RJD vows to keep opposing the Bill

The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Sunday vowed to continue opposing the government’s current Lok Pal Bill that “lacked provisions” for reservation and sought to bring the prime minister within its ambit.

“RJD will continue to oppose the current Lok Pal Bill that lacks provisions for reservation. We also seek to bring the prime minister within its ambit in letter and spirit,” party Rajya Sabha MPs Ramkripal Yadav and Rajniti Prasad and state president R C Purve said.

Yadav said during consultations with leaders of opposition parties, the government had accepted the demand for having the provisions for reservation for minorities, dalits and other extremely backward people in the process of selection for Lok Pal committee.

But it had later reneged on its promise when the Bill was placed in Parliament, they alleged.

Yadav also flayed the main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for voicing its concern over the issue of reservation at the time of the debate.

He asked the government to explain as to what prompted it to change its stand on the provisions of the Bill in the Lok Sabha and subsequently in the Rajya Sabha.

Yadav accused the Congress of compromising with BJP on certain provisions of the Bill “which reflected tacit understanding between the two parties”.

When asked to comment as to what provoked him to tear the copies of the Lok Pal Bill in Rajya Sabha during debate, Prasad said: “It is an expression of anger and the copy I tore was not the original text of the Bill.”