NEW DELHI: Congress MP Partap Singh Bajwa demanded that Rahul Gandhi hold dialogue with Anna Hazare to break the deadlock over Lokpal bill, arguing that the massive mobilization of young and old against corruption reflected the anger of the common man.
The demand came even as Congress decided to brief party MPs about Hazare's protest in the parliamentary party on Thursday. Finance minister and troubleshooter Pranab Mukherjee will brief the MPs while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to chair the gathering in the absence of party chief Sonia Gandhi.
The fumbling response to the crisis over Hazare's fast has led to resentment in party ranks with routine activity coming to a halt in the face of all-round focus on Ramlila Maidan. Following attacks from the opposition and pressure from civil society, the government has called an all-party meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue. Congress spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said the party was geared to settle the graft deadlock, adding that UPA did not wish away issues.
Congress is looking to pin down the opposition on the specifics of the demands raised by Hazare. After having called their draft of Lokpal bill and the demand to push it through by August 30 as "violative of constitutional process", it feels the opposition can be shown to be agreeing to its call. The demand for pushing through the bill by a deadline while it is with the standing committee cannot be accepted by any political party, it is felt.
The specifics of jurisdiction of Lokpal can lead to BJP questioning the omission of the PM from its ambit, but the government is likely to insist that it could be changed in the standing committee. Again, it would look to reinforce the importance of parliamentary process as against the pressure from Hazare's camp.
The all-party meeting on Wednesday will coincide with the debate on corruption in Lok Sabha on a demand by the opposition. The events will put corruption firmly in focus though parliamentary affairs minister Pavan Bansal said the Centre would use the occasion to put forth its views on Lokpal and allegations against the Centre after having been denied the opportunity earlier.
The issue has embarrassed Congress during the last week with divergent views coming from party MPs like Priya Dutt and Sandeep Dikshit airing differences.
Gurdaspur MP Bajwa said Hazare's mobilization should not be brushed aside for political one-upmanship and urged Rahul to hold a dialogue with Hazare.
Singhvi said all views on the PM's inclusion in the Lokpal's ambit would be discussed. "We put one view of deferred prosecution in the bill but it does not mean that we don't respect other views on the issue. We will look into all of them," he said. Singhvi is also the chairman of the standing committee of Parliament which is seized of the Lokpal bill.
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