Home Minister P Chidambaram says, the Lokpal Bill is safe and not defeated and will now be taken up in the budget session of the parliament. Defending the deferment of Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011 in Rajya Sabha on Thursday, he said that it was the only prudent course before the government to ensure that the bill remained alive.

Addressing a press conference in Mumbai today he said that hard work needs to be done ahead to get the Lokpal Bill passed. He said that the government is very serious about passing the bill, but the opposition moved amendments and scuttled the bill.

Chidambaram said that though the government is not able to convince its ally Trinamool Congress in the Rajya Sabha , it will do so by the budget session of the parliament. He said that the government may accept one or two of amendments suggested by TMC.

He clarified that it cannot accept all the 187 amendments introduced by the Opposition in the Bill because doing so will make the bill unrecognisable.