The government, in the dock over a series of scams, is contemplating bringing in an ordinance to put in place a mechanism to fight corruption at all levels.
Revealing this, sources in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the issue was discussed at a meeting of the Congress core group here on Friday. Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, defence minister A.K. Antony and Mrs Gandhi’s political secretary, Mr Ahmed Patel, attended the meeting.
A draft note prepared by the PMO against the backdrop of the five-point action plan to fight corruption suggested by Mrs Gandhi in her address during the Congress plenary here last month was on the agenda of the meeting.
Sources said in case the laws concerned need amending to put in place such a mechanism, an ordinance could be promulgated for the purpose. The mechanism, the sources said, might be different from that of the Central Vigilance Commission, which deals with only corruption by officials.
However, it could not be confirmed whether the proposed ordinance would be a precursor to the long-pending Lok Pal Bill, or if it would cover the Prime Minister’s Office.
Mrs Gandhi’s plan included, among other things, the institution of a new system of fast-tracking all cases concerning corruption by public servants, including politicians, and bringing closure to such cases in a well-defined time-frame. She had also talked about Congress CMs and ministers shedding discretionary powers, especially in regard to land allotments.