A meeting of Indian political parties on a key anti-corruption bill ended inconclusively Friday, but participants agreed to try and build consensus on the controversial legislation. The Lokpal bill could not be passed by the upper house of parliament after opposition parties introduced a number of amendments that the government said it would have to study.
The bill envisages the creation of an independent ombudsman with powers to prosecute politicians and civil servants. Friday's meeting was convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who said his government was committed to enacting a strong ombudsman. But several lawmakers raised objections and sought clarifications over provisions of the bill.
Parties differed on measures to strengthen the body by bringing the federal Central Bureau of Investigation and state-level ombudsman under its purview. Parties were also divided over the procedure for appointment and removal of members on the Lokpal panel. The leader of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Sitaram Yechury, said political parties would try to build consensus around some contentious issues during the recess of parliament's budget session, from March 30 to April 24.
There are "issues on which a proper agreement in terms of the actual drafting have to be arrived at. Many of us have given our amendments on these aspects", Yechury said. Leading anti-corruption campaigner Anna Hazare, meanwhile, described the bill as "weak and useless" and said he would take part in a day-long protest in New Delhi on Sunday.
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