Amid differences between representatives of government and civil society on some key issues, the two sides are now meeting in New Delhi to resolve contentious issues and hammer out a consensus on Lokpal Bill. On the eve of the meeting of the Lokpal joint drafting committee, the eighth since April 16, senior ministers held discussions for nearly three hours on last evening to fine-tune the government's strategy. The deliberations, chaired by Finance Minister and panel chairman Pranab Mukherjee, was attended by Union ministers Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid and Veerappa Moily.Earlier, the UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi has said that the Lokpal Bill is very much a part of the agenda of the National Advisory Council. In a reply to social activist Anna Hazare's letter to her, Mrs Gandhi said, she has already made her views clear in her earlier communications. Mrs. Gandhi said, she believes that there is an urgent necessity to combat graft and corruption. The UPA chairperson said that she strongly supports the institution of Lokpal that is consistent with the practices and conventions of the country's parliamentary democracy. Meanwhile, an all party meeting to seek views across the political spectrum on the Lokpal Bill is likely to be held in the first week of next month. The Congress core group had favoured an all party meeting against the backdrop of widening differences between the government and the civil society representatives led by Anna Hazare.
News On AIR | June 20, 2011 1:03 PM
Joint Draft Committee on Lokpal Bill meets today