Even as Team Anna Hazare accuses the UPA government of being insincere about the Lokpal Bill, home minister P Chidambaram, along with his colleagues, human resources development minister Kapil Sibal and minority affairs minister Salman Khursheed, said on Thursday that the government intends to finish the drafting of the bill by June 30, hopefully in cooperation of civil society team led by Hazare, and if necessary without them.
“We are not going to be diverted by slander and abuse,” Khurshid said.
Clearly, the government wants to be seen as patient and generous. Chidambaram said, “This is a complex bill. Reducing it to binary choices is not right.” He reiterated the government’s intention to “put in place a strong institution to combat corruption”.
He also questioned if the five civil society members on the committee alone represented civil society. Asked as to why the government was so generous and patient with the Hazare team, Chidambaram said, “The wisdom of that decision is not to be revisited.”
The home minister also explained the political complexities. “No party commands a majority. What is desirable is different from what is feasible. Political processes need to be respected.”
Kapil Sibal clarified there would be no two draft versions — one from the five ministers representing the government, and the other of the Hazare team. “There are several areas of agreement. There are fundamental issues that have to be addressed,” he said.
