The LokPal or JokePal

Close to 50 years and so many governments, but LokPal is yet to see the light of the day. There is some mysterious energy or power that is always preventing this LokPal Bill to be passed or framed. The first time it was perhaps in the 1960s that the demand for LokPal Bill was mooted. But we are yet to get anything such.

So many governments have place so many drafts of LokPal in parliament but no government was serious enough to convert it into a Bill or Law. But recently it attained widespread publicity and headlines in news because of the movement started by Anna Hazare and his team for to force the government to pass the bill in the parliament. Anna Hazare, a Padma Bhushan, ex-Army man, a Gandhian, a social activist, perhaps adjectives would fall short to describe such a person. He launched a nation wide movement in the month of April, 2011 for the support of LokPal Bill, a draft of which was also prepared by them. He received massive support from walks of life.

The government being under pressure due to the massive support of the common people included them into the joint drafting committee of the LokPal that was to be placed in the parliament. But on all contentious issues like including of Prime Minister or Judges in the ambit of LokPal, it was the government which had the last say. The proper justifications of the civil society members demanding to include them under the ambit of LokPal was never given a serious thought.

The government and the congress ridiculing the demands of Anna and his team by saying that this would lead to a JokePal. They are vehemently opposing inclusion of Prime Minister under LokePal. Perhaps, they have their own vested interests. This government being involved in so many in so many scams and corruptions, it is definitely not at their best of interests to have a strong Ombudsman Bill. They always trying to keep some loopholes in the bill. What is more important to note that they are actually trying to place a JokePal in the parliament that would perhaps have no real powers. It would turn up to be another government machinery that stands and sits at mercy of the ruling party and government.