Lokpal bill can be amended 80 per cent, let's all be flexible, says Singhvi-August 22, 2011

Lokpal bill can be amended 80 per cent, let's all be flexible, says Singhvi

* August 22, 2011



A parliamentary panel examining the Lokpal bill can amend it up to 80 per cent and all stakeholders should 'show flexibility' on the issue, the panel's head and Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said on Monday.

The panel 'can amend the government's bill by up to 80 per cent of its original version', Singhvi, who heads the Parliamentary Standing Committee on personnel, public grievances and law and justice, told reporters here.

The panel 'is open to all suggestions. A reasonable solution can still be found', he said when asked about the August 30 deadline set by Team Anna to pass its version of the Lokpal bill.

"Everything cannot be decided on the basis of deadlines," Singhvi said, adding: "It is important to show flexibility by moving away from timelines. There is need for restraint and discipline from all sides."

He hoped the bill could be debated in the winter session of parliament in November-December.

"We will try to ensure that we give recommendations on the Lokpal bill well before the three-month period given to us... so it's ready for introduction in the next (winter) session," Singhvi said.

'Rahul, CMO or Chavan and nobody else'

On the seventh day of his fast, Anna Hazare said on Monday that he would negotiate with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) or Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to break the logjam with the union government on the Lokpal bill.

A news channel quoted him as saying that he would not negotiate with any other mediator, including Home Minister P. Chidambaram or Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal.

According to the channel, the 74-year-old activist added in an interview that negotiations could not take place with non-government mediators.

"Hazare said that Lokpal bill negotiations cannot happen with non-government mediators and added that he can talk with the Prime Minister's Office or Rahul. He also added that he was ready to talk with Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan," according to TV channel.

'No magic wand' to end corruption

Reiterating what he said in his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, Manmohan Singh told a gathering at the Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta, that there was no 'magic wand that can solve the problem in one stroke'.

"There is no single solution. We need to act on multiple fronts," he said here as crowds continued to gather at New Delhi's Ramlila Maidan to support Hazare, who is pressing for a more powerful Lokpal bill.

Referring to the Lokpal (ombudsman) bill, which is now before a parliamentary standing committee, he said there were different viewpoints.

"We have made it clear that all concerned individuals should convey their concern on different aspects of the bill to their representatives in parliament and to the standing committee. The standing committee has the power to propose any amendment. We are open to a reasoned debate on all these issues."

PM on black money

The Prime Minister also suggested reforms on funding of polls and political parties 'to reduce the scope for generation of black money'.

"Clean it up we must. .. Along with the techno-economic issues which we deal with in our planning process, we also need to change our system of governance to eliminate corruption. It will take time and effort but it can be done."

However, the prime minister strongly denounced the argument that corruption is the consequence of economic liberalisation and reforms.

"This is of course completely mistaken. Many of the areas which have actually seen systemic reforms have also seen the disappearance of corruption. Industrial licensing, import licensing and rationing of foreign exchange are good examples.