Bring media, corporate houses under Lokpal: Lalu

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday said the electronic media and corporate houses should be brought under the purview of the proposed Lokpal Bill to fight graft effectively.

“The electronic media and corporate houses should also come under the purview of the Lokpal. This is the view of many members of the Standing Committee set up for the issue,” he told reporters.

To a question, Mr.Prasad said “corruption is all pervasive in the country and it cannot be checked only through Lokpal.”

The former Bihar Chief Minister, in Mirzapur to pay obeisance to deity Vindhyavasini, said Gandhian Anna Hazare himself believed that the anti-graft bill would check only 60 per cent of corruption.

“But what about the remaining 40 per cent?” he asked.

To Anna’s call not to vote for the Congress if the party failed to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, Mr. Prasad said he and his team should form a political party and enter electoral fray to understand intricacies of politics.

On the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh, he said the crime rate in the State was on the rise as “ministers themselves are law-breakers”.

“All the ministers found guilty by the Lokayukta should be immediately sent to jail,” he said.

On his party’s plans for upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, he said he had issued necessary directions to his State unit chief in this regard.

The RJD chief said his party planned to contest some 30 to 35 seats in UP.