Lokpal Bill Debate in Rajya Sabha Tuesday Dec 17,2013

Law Minister Kapil Sibal has initiated discussion on the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha

 "We hope the House creates history. Sometimes we have to rise above the political lines and listen to the voices outside the House and the way we have conducted ourselves in the past. Never has a Bill garnered so much public debate ''

Reading out the recommendations of the Select Committee on the Lokpal Bill, Sibal said that Lokayukta in all states will be mandatory within one year of the Lokpal Bill becoming the law.

The Samajwadi Party(SP) MPs have walked out of the Rajya Sabha opposing the Lokpal Bill. 

Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley speaks on the Lokpal Bill

"It is good that the government that the government has come to terms with the change reality of India ''
Appealing to the government to rethink on a point in the Lokpal Bill, Arun Jaitley said, "The jurisdiction of Lokpal should be on bodies related only to government revenues.
Kapil Sibal clarified that this amendment has been made to the Lokpal Bill.

Arun Jaitley has slammed the SP for opposing the Lokpal Bill. "We must all strive together to pass this landmark Bill ''


BSP MP Satish Chandra Misra thanked the government for making changes to the Lokpal Bill and also thanked the government for bringing reservation SC/St in the Lokpal Bill, saying this was not in any way unconstitutional. 
"All states must adopt this Lokpal Bill," said BSP MP Satish Chandra Misra.

CPI(M) MP Sitaram Yechury said  -

it is good that parties have come to a consensus on the Lokpal Bill
that if the government bodies are under the purview of the Lokpal Bill, the private bodies must also be brought under it
even as the party supports the Lokpal Bill, keeping private organisations outside Lokpal must be reconsidered and the process of improving the law must be ongoing
NGOs should also be brought under the purview of the Lokpal Bill

TMC MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy
questioned as to why judges should be heading institutions like the Lokpal Bill
thanked the government for accepting suggestions on the Lokpal Bill saying, "We support the Bill whole-heartedly."

JDU MP Shivanand Tiwari said
the Lokpal Bill alone cannot eradicate corruption as the gap between the rich and the poor has to be finished to completely remove corruption
that there can be improvements and more steps to reduce the rich-poor gap in the society
that his party supports the Lokpal Bill

AIADMK MP Dr V Maitreyan said
the Lokpal Bill had gained pace as a result of the UPA government's debacle in the assembly polls. "Consensus was reached in November 2011 on the Bill, but the UPA government slept over it. They got it now because of the assembly poll debacle

Note