NEW DELHI: After seven meetings in two months, Team Hazare's fight for the Lokpal bill threatens to spill back to the streets even as the government continued to harden its stand, giving little indication of its own position on contentious issues like inclusion of the prime minister and higher judiciary within the ambit of the proposed Lokpal bill.
Gandhian Anna Hazare announced that he would go on an indefinite fast from August 16 if a strong bill was not prepared while fellow activist Arvind Kejriwal mocked the government's version of the bill as 'jokepal', alleging that the government had backtracked on its assurances.
The government, on its part, continued to hold its cards close to its chest hoping to gain some maneuvering space. On Thursday, Lokpal drafting committee member and home minister P Chidambaram said the government would prepare a draft by June 30 irrespective of whether civil society cooperated or not.
Arguing against certain changes like bringing in conduct of MPs within the purview of the Lokpal and the removal of government officials that would require constitutional amendments, both Chidambaram and HRD minister Kapil Sibal said the UPA lacked political majority in Parliament to bring about such a legislation.
Source: TimesofIndia
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