Lokpal Bill: will it see light of the day

Arun Srivastava

press conference of  Rahul in AICC

After open support of vice president of the Congress party clearance of Lokpal bill is merely a formality as principal opposition party along with other opposition and supporting parties of UPA are already on board. Hectic activities by floor managers of Congress party under the veil seem to have also fetched result for party which is struggling to get some good works to show the people during election campaigning next year. A reputed news paper has carried a news item today which says that SP has agreed to give passage to Lokpal Bill. Getting a law on Lokpal will be a booster for Congress as bill and acts passed by UPA to distribute freebies to electorates have not worked in the just concluded five assembly elections.  

Indian politics has come on the verge of radical changes. A New era of clean and corruption free politics seems to have landed on Indian soil. Parties who have been practicing politics of delay and accusation till the recent past now suddenly clamoring for Lokpal Bill. All parties are in race to claim the credit of passing the bill in parliament. Only one party led by Mulayam Singh Yadav (MSY) was out of this race till yesterday if the report of getting support of MSY is correct.

There are reasons for SP also not to come on board with the other political parties initially. Party wants a grip on Congress before Next year general election. It also wants to give a note of caution on SC/ST promotion bill for which the other outside supporter of UPA has been batting hard. SP knows once the Lokpal bill cleared from Rajya Sabha then Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will make astounding pressure on UPA to get the SC/ST bill also passed in this winter session.

Mulayam Singh Yadav

Political bastion of MSY is Uttar Pradesh which holds credit of giving 80 seats to Lokshabha. Like any other state, traditionally voters of UP also likes the politics of Caste and Religion. Parties which have strong base in Uttar Pradesh also rely on politics of caste and religion. MSY knows that to manage and influence the voters of state is vary hard if not impossible. With vast hinterland and village population along with comparatively less influential and wealthy middle class voters’ base make MSY confident to the extent that he dares to sail his ship against the majority of Rajya Sabha. Merely seven or eight MPs of Samajwadi Party had created a din and ruckus in upper house and force deputy chairman to adjourn the proceeding on Friday when bill was placed on table for discussion after a gap of one year. Select committee of Rajya Sabha had submitted its finding one year back but the reasons best known to government bill was not brought on table for debate.

A handful of MPs forced whole country to devoid of a Lokpal, at least to show honest citizens that machinery is there to take care of corrupt babus and Netas. A movement has been going on for Lokpal across many major cities since 2009 and when by one reason or other political parties have been trying to get it pass then SP was using every tactic to halt the bill. MSY had threatened UPA to support the no confidence motion in Loksabha in case government dares to pass the bill from Rajya Sabha.

Show of courage and initiatives for bold steps are demands of hour. When there is a broad consensus among all opposition along with main opposition BJP, Congress should come forward and get the bill passed from both the houses of parliament. Today when MSY has allegedly agreed to give way to Lokpal bill despite its reservation, hopefully the second opponent Sive Sena will also toe the line of majority. Government must and should come forward to get the bill passed from Lokshabha in remaining day of session.