Cong, BJP misleading Hazare on Lokpal Bill: AAP

Claiming that the Lokpal Bill brought by the government doesn't have the provisions of Anna Hazare's draft, Aam Aadmi Party today said agents of Congress and BJP are "misleading" the anti-graft activist to accept the amended bill.
The Arvind Kejriwal-led party said the Congress and BJP agents have reached Ralegan Siddhi and were persuading Hazare to accept the anti-corruption Bill, saying it was "good and adoptable".
The Bill did not contain even a single one of the three provisions which the Parliament had unanimously promised Anna Hazare before he broke his fast in 2011, the party said.
"That all public servants, high or low would be included in the investigative ambit of the Lokpal; that the Lokpal would also monitor the Citizen's charters and have the power to penalise public authorities and servants who violate it.

"And that Lokpal bill would contain provisions for Lokayuktas on the same lines as the Lokpal for the states, which would take of corruption among state public servants," AAP spokesperson Manish Sisodia said.
The lower grade employees of Central government and state government employees have been kept out of its ambit. Also, it does not speak about the Citizen's Charter, and government had not incorporated the suggestions of the Select Committee.

"It is an attempt to impose the same 'Jokepal Bill' which was rejected by the people," he said, adding it's not the one that Anna had envisioned and is a very weak Lokpal Bill.

The government today brought the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill to the Rajya Sabha in an amended form.
Sisodia said that as per the government's Bill, the same politicians who are alleged to be corrupt would appoint the Lokpal and "the same CBI, which is known to be making compromises, would probe the complaints."
In the selection and removal of the Lokpal, slightly more weightage has been given to the opposition rather than the government, but even with this, the appointment and removal of the Lokpal remains under the control of the political class who usually would have the same vested interest to have a weak and pliable Lokpal, he said.

In total, it is not the same Bill which the Prime Minister had promised to get passed, and the one which Rajniti Prasad had tore on December 29 last year, he said.