The day-long long extraordinary debate on the Lokpal issue Saturday ended with the Lok Sabha adopting “a sense of house” that included an in-principle acceptance of three key demands of Anna Hazare. There was, however, neither any resolution nor a voice vote that was expected at the end of the debate. Replying to the over eight-hour debate on the Lokpal issue in a special sitting of parliament, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee expressed “a broad sense of the house” expressing an in-principle acceptance of three key demands that brought the government and civil society activists on a collision course.

These included an agreement on the citizens’ charter, the bringing of the lower bureaucracy under the Lokpal and the setting up of Lokayuktas in the state.
Amid the thumping of desks from MPs, Mukherjee made it clear that the outcome of the proceedings will be submitted to the parliamentary standing committee examining the Lokpal bill. The standing committee will bring a revised legislation to the House, he said. “It will be subjected to the parliamentary standing committee and then it will be brought to the house,” he said, adding that it will be parliament which will eventually decide on the final legislation.

“Our democracy is powerful enough, strong enough and flexible enough to accommodate different viewpoints,” he said. Mukherjee Saturday took a subtle dig at Team Anna, saying there is a distinction between democracy and mobocracy. “To say that the government bill should be withdrawn and to burn it in public. This is not democratic behaviour,” Mukherjee said.

“There is a distinction between democracy and mobocracy,” he said while alluding to the deadlines set by Anna and his associates for passing their version of the Jan Lokpal bill in the current session of parliament. Parliament “does not necessarily follow the conventional way of lawmaking,” he said. “India is the largest democracy. It is a functional democracy,” he added.

Parliament alone should draft laws, say government, opposition
Though the opposition was unsparing in its attack on the government on the issue of corruption, both the government and the opposition were unanimous that parliament was the only body which could and should draft legislations in the country.
The point of agreement emerged as both sides, participating in the special debate on the Lokpal issue in the Rajya Sabha Saturday, said that parliament was the only body which should be drafting bills. “No one can dispute that Indian parliament is supreme in law making. Law can’t be made anywhere else but in parliament. So even when pressure groups build up pressure in the society, we must concede to them the right to build up pressure, but not be provoked by them,” Leader of Opposition in the upper house Arun Jaitley said while participating in the debate.

“We must not lose our rationality to what we have to accept and what we don’t have to accept. We must legislate keeping in mind the basic principle and values of Indian society, experiences of our democracy and our constitutional rights,” he said. The leader of opposition said while civil society had a role to play as crusaders, the option to agree or not was there.
“There will be a role for civil society, some of them may take positions which may not be implementable, but then they have the role of campaigner and crusader... when they try to compel lawmakers to change their route, we have the option of agreeing with them, we have the option of not agreeing,” he said.
Union Minister Ashwani Kumar, participating in the debate said “There is one issue on which there is complete unanimity that law-making is the exclusive domain of the two houses and cannot be compromised by people sitting under a banyan tree or peepal tree.” Jaitley meanwhile said “Corruption in many areas has become a way of life.”
He said the “upper sections of the society bend the rules and indulge in corruption, while the common people suffer”.
He said some “not so complimentary statements” were being made about parliament and MPs. He urged fellow members not to pay attention to them.

DAN government supports parliament resolution on Lokpal Bill
DIMAPUR, AUG 27 (NPN): Welcoming the parliament decision on Lokpal Bill, the DAN government Saturday has appreciated Anna Hazare and his team for the movement and the pain they have taken for the UPA government to take the step.
“The DAN government has welcomed the parliament resolution’, Abu Metha press secretary to state chief minister told Nagaland Post over phone. The government has also called Anna Hazare to call off his fast.
DAN government would extend support to any step and initiative that is aimed to bring about transparency in good governance and to fight corruption, he added.