Lalu Prasad Ydav at his witty best in Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: Lalu Prasad was at his irrepressible best in the Lok Sabha today as he used his rustic wit and humour to send a message against rushing through the Lokpal Bill, taking potshots at Anna Hazare and his team.

"Don't put the noose around your neck," the RJD chief appealed to the packed House, saying "Parliament cannot be run from the footpath. We are the lawmakers."

Prasad's poser was "how many friends of (Suresh) Kalmadi you want to make? If an ex-MP comes, he doesn't get place even in the bathroom," evoking laughter. He said the Lokpal would open a Pandora's box for the lawmakers themselves, both past and present.

In the midst of his hilarious remarks, he said "I was born in 1948. Mere aane se pahle hi Angrez bhag gaye (even before I arrived, British fled)". This sent the House into peals of laughter.

Repeatedly saying that he was not against the Bill as was being projected, Prasad went out of the way to woo the media saying that it should be exempted from the ambit of the Lokpal, maintaining it was doing "nothing wrong but giving publicity" to politicians.

In this context, he said Union minister Kapil Sibal's photographs were being well-published in the newspapers. Then he turned to another minister Pawan Kumar Bansal saying he has a file tucked in his armpit and feels like he is running the government.

New Lokpal Bill to be tabled in Lok Sabha tomorrow

NEW DELHI: A new Lokpal Bill will be introduced in the Lok Sabha tomorrow and the existing one withdrawn.

This was conveyed by the government to the main opposition party, the BJP, on Wednesday along with the intention to have a three-day additional sitting of Parliament from December 27 to take up this crucial bill. BJP gave its nod to this proposal.

Earlier today, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee held a meeting with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha - Sushma Swaraj, her counterpart in Rajya Sabha - Arun Jaitley and BJP leader L K Advani to discuss the issue.

Mukherjee conveyed to the BJP that the Lokpal Bill passed by the Cabinet last night could be circulated to MPs only later this evening, according to sources.

He also said that the existing Lokpal Bill- introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament- will be withdrawn in the Lok Sabha tomorrow and the new bill introduced. Mukherjee said that in this scenario, there was little option but to extend the winter session by three more days and discuss the Lokpal Bill from December 27 to 29.

BJP agreed to the proposal after initial reluctance. BJP party sources said its opposition is to the content of the bill rather than extension of this session.

The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) will meet this evening to decide on the extension.

Government is keen to ensure passage of the Lokpal Bill along with two crucial legislations- Judicial Accountability Bill and Whistleblower Protection Bill -- during the current session. But since only two days are left, it wants additional sitting after the Christmas break.

The BAC had yesterday decided to hold an additional three day sitting from December 27 but later several MPs opposed it, prompting the government to say it will have a rethink.

Several MPs, including from the UPA coalition, are still opposed to the three day extension of the session.

Lokpal Bill was cleared last night by the Union Cabinet. The new bill will be a Constitution amendment Bill which will also bring the Prime Minister under the ambit of Lokpal with certain riders.

The bill, however, keeps the CBI out of purview of Lokpal except on cases which are referred to it by the latter. The Lokpal will have its own wings for preliminary inquiries and prosecution.

The Lokpal will be a nine-member body including the chairperson.

Anna Hazare salvo at Rahul Gandhi for ‘bill dilution’

PUNE: Social activist Anna Hazare on Friday blamed Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for diluting the Lokpal Bill draft, saying he "strongly suspected'' him of "interfering" in the legislation process to make it weak.

"Gandhi said he wanted the Lokpal to be a constitutional body, but he does not say there will be no government interference in its functioning. The law about Lokpal must have a provision to rule out such interference," Hazare told reporters at Ralegan Siddhi.

The activist threatened to go on an eight-day hunger strike at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan from December 27, if the bill is not passed or a weak legislation is passed during the Parliament's winter session. Hazare said he would then stage a three-day agitation each in poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur and tell people that the government was cheating them. "I am aware that the government will not allow me to continue my fast beyond eight days."

The Gandhian accused the government of having "wrong intentions" about the Lokpal and going back on its promises. "The Prime Minister gave me a written assurance in August about including lower-ranking government officials in the ambit of Lokpal, having a citizen's charter and setting up a strong Lokayukta in every state on the lines of the Lokpal," he said.

"Parliament gave a letter to this effect to the standing committee. Still, the promises were not kept. Isn't this cheating?" He said the people should hold the government responsible if anything happens to him during the agitation. "Even if I die, people will say there was a mad man, who always fought for the people's causes."

Hazare reiterated his demand for the CBI and the PM's inclusion in the Lokpal purview besides the right to recall.