'Will believe in Delhi government after Lokpal bill is passed'

Insisting that honest governance does not come with self-certification, AAP's Lokpal N. Dilip Kumar on Wednesday said he will "believe in the Delhi government" only after the Jan Lokpal bill is passed.

Kumar, a former Indian Police Service officer who has also served in Goa in the past, however, said other parties were creating hurdles in passing the ombudsman legislation by the Delhi government.

Kumar, one of three Lokpals appointed by the Aam Aadmi Party along with Rakesh Sinha and S.P. Verma as ombudsmen for the party's internal affairs, said at a press conference here that no government in the country had the will to tackle corruption.

Asked if the AAP government in Delhi too lacked the will to take on corruption, Kumar said: "The Delhi government as such, there is a will, but they don't have the arrangement.

"Till now, the Lokpal (bill) has not been passed in Delhi. And if they want to pass it, there are so many hurdles put by the other parties. I will believe in the Delhi government only after Delhi Jan Lokpal is passed," he said.

Earlier, Kumar said that claims of honesty and clean governance were hollow if "self projected" and that such certification must come from third parties.

Citing instances, Kumar said everyone speaks about the Gujarat model of development and stories of honest governance, but asks why the state did not have the anti-corruption institution of Lokayukta for 10 years.