Lokpal Bill in limbo as Rajya Sabha runs out of time

The extension of the Winter Session of Parliament turned out to be futile as despite the passage of the Lokpal Bill in the Lok Sabha, it failed to even be put to vote in the Rajya Sabha. According to reports, after a twelve hour marathon session, the Bill could not be put to vote as chaos broke out in the House half an hour before the Session would automatically end at the stroke of midnight. The House was adjourned sine die by Chairman Hamid Ansari in the face of stiff opposition and a verbal spat that broke out between several members, including the government’s ally Trinamool Congress. The bone of contention was that the BJP wanted the Bill to be put to vote immediately while the Government insisted it required time to resolve contradictory 187 amendments moved by the members. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said that the government was willing to put the Bill to vote provided the House passed the Bill voted by the Lok Sabha on Tuesday. This, in turn, meant that the amendments which the Opposition wished to move would have to be kept on the backburner.

Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley accused the government of escaping from Parliament which amounted to the UPA being reduced to a minority and that the House and not the government should decide how long it should sit, reports said. "A government which did not have the numbers in the House has consciously first choreographed a debate so that it cannot be concluded before 12 o' clock," reports said quoting Jaitley. The UPA II has under 100 members in the 243-member House and found it hassling when parties supporting the government such as BSP (18), SP (6) and RJD (4) expressed their opposition to the Bill and their resolve to vote against it, reports said. (CPI-M) leader Sitaram Yechury said that the House had been awaiting the Bill since Wednesday which was actually brought on the last day of the Winter Session on Thursday, reports added. The Goverment received much flak for the turn of events with Trinamool Congress calling it a "shameful" day for democracy and a result of "orchestrated chaos," and BJP's Yashwant Sinha naming the PM "mauni baba" for his silence. The Lokpal Bill will now hang in limbo till the next session of Parliament, the Budget Session.

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Lok Sabha approves new Lokpal Bill by voice vote

The Lok Sabha on Tuesday passed the Lokpal Bill to create an anti-corruption ombudsman, according to reports. However, the government failed to get the two-thirds majority it needed to make the bill a Constitutional Body, like the Election Commission. A visibly angry Pranab Mukherjee, termed it as a ‘sad day for democracy’. The FM blamed the BJP for the incident and threatened them that "people will teach you a lesson," reports said. Just before the vote began, the SP and BSP parties staged a walkout and did not vote on the Lokpal Bill, reports said. The Bill will now be sent to the Rajya Sabha. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government has been the target of middle-class frustration with everyday graft and multi-billion dollar scandals in Asia's third largest economy. Anna Hazare, who began a three-day fast to coincide with the parliamentary debate, wants the ombudsman to have greater powers to investigate high ranking scammers, reports said. His health reportedly deteriorated on Tuesday evening as his blood pressure fell and his temperature rose above 102 degrees. The activist was already suffering from a viral infection before he commenced his fast.

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Anna Hazare ends fast early...To protest in poll-bound states

Anna Hazare on Wednesday ended his three-day fast in Mumbai, a day ahead of schedule due to deterioration in his health and less-than-expected response from the public. The 74-year-old social activist made the surprise announcement at the MMRDA grounds in Mumbai, where the response has not been as strong as in Delhi earlier this year. However, Anna added that he will campaign against anti-Lokpal parties in Uttar Pradesh and other poll bound states. He also said that he will protest for a stronger Lokpal Bill from December 30 to January 1 at Ramlila Maidan, Delhi. "Whatever we are seeing today in Parliament is tragic. So I have decided to call off the fast today. There is only one way now. We will make a programme in the five states and go and awaken people there. I will tell them don't vote for traitors," Anna said today. "Now two years are left for the general elections. In between, I will go to various parts of the country and keep awakening the people till next general elections," he said. Doctors had advised him to call off his protest, warning that continuation of the same will lead to kidney failure. Hazare said he was already fasting four days before the start of the protest strike yesterday.  Various people had appealed to Anna to end his fast considering his ill health. Meanwhile, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal told media persons that they have withdrawn the proposed jail bharo campaign for the time being...Read More

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