BJP killed the Lokpal bill, says Centre
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The government put BJP in the dock on Friday accusing it of playing spoiler by preventing passage of Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011, in Rajya Sabha.
BJP stalled the Bill with one objective: The Manmohan Singh government should not get credit for passing the historic Bill, Congress leaders said.
They, however, refused to criticise ally Trinamul Congress and supporting parties BSP, SP and RJD for joining the Opposition in stalling the Bill.
Congress leaders and ministers said BJP was the main culprit. The strained relations between the government and BJP could lead to a new polarisation in Parliament as non-NDA parties do not want to be seen with the saffron party ahead of Assembly elections in about half-a-dozen states next year.
The government had to defer the Bill because BJP, the Left and others wanted amendments that would have compelled it to send the Bill back to Lok Sabha for passage in the next session.
“This would have become ‘their’ Bill, not the government’s Bill,” sources said.
The government fielded senior ministers P. Chidambaram, P.K. Bansal, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni to counter BJP claims that PM Manmohan Singh and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee were part of the 'choreographed disturbance' in Rajya Sabha Thursday to subvert Lokpal and Lokayuktas Bill, 2011.
The party accused the government of preventing the nation from getting a strong Lokpal. It will hold nationwide protest marches against the Congress-led UPA from January 3.
A delegation of party MPs is also expected to meet President Pratibha Patil on January 3 on the Lokpal issue.
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