Lokpal: All-party meet over, deadlock remains

New Delhi: The all-party meet on Lokpal Bill held at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's residence on Wednesday failed to reach a consensus.

All the parties, reportedly, stuck to their stated stands.

Addressing mediapersons after the meeting, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan said that all the parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) asked the government to not take any decision on Lokpal in haste.

He further said that all the parties were of the opinion that the Lokpal must not affect the supremacy of Parliament.

Meanwhile, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said that they were in the favour of the government bringing the bill in this session, adding that they wanted the Prime Minister and Group C and D bureaucrats under the ambit of Lokpal.

"The government has not given any assurance about bringing the bill in this session, but we have asked them to bring it in this session," said Yechury.

Referring to the issue of inclusion of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Yechury said that the Lokpal must have its own investigation agency.

Earlier, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said that he was keen to see the "momentous" Lokpal Bill passed during the current session of Parliament based on a consensus that was driven by the House as the "custodian of legislation".

"The government is committed to implement in letter and spirit a good and effective Lokpal Bill that would have a quick and positive impact in further curbing the cancer of corruption without any adverse effects on the efficiency of our system of public administration," he said in his opening remarks at the all-party meet.

Seeking "guidance and cooperation in this matter of paramount importance", Singh said the Lokpal Bill issue should not be subjected to party politics.

(With Additional Inputs from PTI)

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