Parliament discussion on Lokpal Bill tomorrow

 Preparations underway on Monday at the MMRDA Ground for Anna Hazare's fast in Mumbai. Photo: Shashi Ashiwal The Lok Sabha will begin discussion on the Lokpal Bill on Tuesday, even as Anna Hazare begins his three-day fast at the same time in Mumbai for a “strong” Lokpal.

The House will witness a day-long combined discussion on the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011 and the Constitution (Amendment) Bill to give the ombudsman a Constitutional status.

The Public Interest Disclosure and Protection to Persons Making the Disclosures Bill, 2010 (popularly known as Whistleblowers’ bill) will also be discussed along with the two bills.

Congress has already issued a three-line whip to its members to remain present in the Lok Sabha during the debate.

It has also requested its allies in the UPA to issue similar whips.

The Lokpal Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states to inquire into allegations of corruption against public functionaries.

The Bill had faced objections from various political parties including the BJP at the stage of introduction last week, saying 50 per cent quota for minorities in the Lokpal bench and the Search Committee was “unconstitutional.”

Several parties had slammed the measure claiming that the Bill made it obligatory upon states to establish Lokayuktas and it was an infringement on the federal structure of the country.

Some others had criticised the move to put the Prime Minister under the ambit of the anti-corruption watchdog.

Mr. Hazare has announced that he will begin his three-day fast at Mumbai from Tuesday to protest a “weak” Lokpal Bill.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi had declared that she will fight for the Lokpal Bill.

She had recently told party MPs that to tackle the issue of corruption, three bills with major implications are to be passed soon — those relating to the protection of whistleblowers, enhancing judicial accountability, strengthening anti-money laundering operations and controlling bribery of Indian public officials by foreign companies.

The government aims to establish a mechanism to receive complaints relating to disclosure on any allegation of corruption or willful misuse of power or willful misuse of discretion against any public servant under the Whistleblowers’ Bill which will also come for discussion in the Lower House tomorrow.

The measure also seeks to provide adequate safeguards against victimisation of the person making such a complaint.

Parliament to decide final shape of Lokpal Bill: Pranab

 PTI Pranab: "It is the job of Parliament to legislate". File photo Ahead of Anna Hazare’s fast demanding a ‘strong’ Lokpal Bill, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said it is for Parliament to decide what should be the final shape of the legislation.

“It is the job of Parliament to legislate. We (government) had several rounds of discussion with him (Anna Hazare) and his team. We know their viewpoints. About nine rounds of meetings have already been held with them.

Thereafter also, through interlocutors some discussions also took place with them,” Mr. Mukherjee told reporters at his south Kolkata residence.

Asked for his comments on Mr. Hazare’s threat of going on fast and Tuesday’s debate in Parliament on the legislation, he said, “It is for Parliament to decide what should be the final shape of the legislation.

“We brought legislation for the consideration of the House. I can’t make any premature comment on what members will do and respond to various provisions of the legislation. You will come to know of it later,” Mr. Mukherjee said.

Mr. Hazare is set to hold his three-day fast at the MMRDA Ground in Mumbai against a ‘weak’ Lokpal Bill from tomorrow.

Team Anna had on Sunday shot off an open letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and MPs wanting enactment of “real and best possible” anti-corruption law which should also provide for an independent investigative wing for the ombudsman.

Citizen's charter bill tabled in Parliament

The citizen's charter bill that spells out responsibilities of government departments towards citizens, their right to delivery of goods and services, and redressal of their grievances in a time-bound manner was introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Minister of state in the Prime

Minister's Office (PMO) V Narayanasamy introduced the Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011, which was cleared by the cabinet earlier this month.

The government has gone ahead with the bill despite severe opposition from Anna Hazare and his team who want the provisions to be kept within the ambit of the proposed anti-corruption lokpal bill.

The bill has been referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee that will prepare its report and submit it to the house before the legislation is debated and passed.

The highlights of the bill are:

- Every department or the authority would be asked to publish a citizen's charter, listing all the services it renders and the possible time frame within which the goods and services could be delivered.

- It also mandates that every government department should create an information and facilitation centre which may include a customer helpline or helpdesk to handle complaints and guide citizens.

- It also suggests appointment of grievance redress officer in every department or public authority who can provide all necessary assistance to citizens in filing complaints.

- The officer has to ensure that any complainant is informed in writing about the action taken on his complaint.

- If this is not done, a complainant can appeal to a designated authority who will have authority to summon accused officers and question them within 30 days of the complaint, and if proven guilty they could face penalty. They will also have to compensate the citizen.

- If a complainant feels unsatisfied with the designated authority's decision, he or she can approach public grievances redressal commissions which would be established at both central and state levels.

Opposition wants Chidambaram's scalp, disrupts Parliament

 Home minister P Chidambaram speaks in Lok Sabha in New Delhi. PTI/TV grabOpposition MPs on Tuesday heckled home minister P Chidambaram to prevent him from speaking in Lok Sabha, part of the move to boycott the former finance minister in Parliament for his alleged complicity in the 2G spectrum allotment case.

Led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), MPs

rose from their seats and booed Chidambaram when he began replying to a question by Congress' Meenakshi Natarajan on human trafficking.

There was noisy protests and slogans whenever the home minister stood up to answer questions on issues like human trafficking and the present status of setting up of National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) and the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).

Though barely audible, the home minister appeared unfazed and continued with his reply.

Demanding Chidambaram's resignation for his alleged role in irregularities in allotment of the 2G telecom spectrum when he was the finance minister, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) members had decided to boycott the home minister at the start of the winter session that began Nov 22.

The BJP also briefly disrupted proceedings in Rajya Sabha.

Soon after the House mourned the deaths in southern Philippines due to cyclone, Chandan Mitra (BJP) raised the issue of Chidambaram allegedly helping his former client, a charge that has been vehemently denied by the home minister.

BJP members also expressed anguish over the move in Siberia to ban Bhagavad Gita.

Chairman Hamid Ansari said a notice for zero hour mention has been accepted and the issue can be raised them.

An agitated NC Pany (BJP) demanded resignation of Chidambaram for his alleged role in the 2G scam.

He also said that the home minister was allegedly behind the midnight crackdown by the Delhi Police at the venue of yoga guru Ramdev's agitation at Ramlila grounds here.

Ansari disallowed Mitra, who was supported by AIADMK, and took up the first listed question of the day.

Putin suffers blow in Russian parliament election

Vladimir Putin's ruling party suffered a big drop in support in a parliamentary election on Sunday and was not certain even of holding on to a majority of seats, an exit poll showed.

If confirmed, the result is a considerable blow to Putin because the election was widely seen as a

test of his personal authority before his planned return to the presidency next year.

The poll announced on state television showed Putin's party, United Russia, would win the election to the State Duma lower house with 48.5% of the votes cast, compared with 64.3% in 2007.

The poll did not make clear how the 450 seats in the Duma would be shared out under complicated calculations. But a second poll projected United Russia, which has dominated the chamber since 2003, would have only 220 seats.

The communist party emerged in second place in both polls with considerable gains over 2007.

Putin remains by far the most popular politician in the vast country of more than 140 million people but there have been signs that some Russians are wearying of his cultivated strong-man image after 12 years in power.

"United Russia has lost touch with reality," said a 30-year-old history teacher in St Petersburg who gave his name only as Alexander.

He was planning to switch his vote to the Communists.

Putin is still almost certain to win the March 4 presidential election and could extend his rule until 2024 if he wins the maximum two more terms.

The 59-year-old ex-spy looked stern and said only that he hoped for good results for his ruling United Russia party as he walked past supporters to vote in Moscow.

Opposition cries foul
The result was also a blow for President Dmitry Medvedev, who is standing down to allow Putin to resume the presidency he ceded to him in 2008. Medvedev, who would take over the prime minister's office from Putin next year, had led the election campaign.

His position could now be in question.

Opposition parties complained of election irregularities in parts of the country spanning 9,000 km (5,600 miles) and a Western-financed electoral watchdog and two liberal media outlets said their sites had been shut down by hackers intent on silencing allegations of violations.

Sites belonging to the Ekho Moskvy radio station, online news portal Slon.ru and the watchdog Golos went down at around 8am.

"Massive cyber attacks are taking place on the sites of Golos and the map showing violations," Golos said on Twitter.

Medvedev, who is stepping aside next year so that Putin can return to the presidency, has dismissed talk of electoral fraud.

Supporters say Putin saved Russia during his 2000-2008 presidency, restoring Kremlin control over sprawling regions and reviving an economy mired in post-Soviet chaos.

His use of military force to crush a rebellion in the southern Muslim region of Chechnya also won him broad support, and security was tight there on election day.

Opposition parties say the election was unfair from the start because of authorities' support for United Russia with cash and television air time.

Putin has no serious personal rivals as Russia's leader. He remains the ultimate arbiter between the clans which control the world's biggest energy producer.

But his party has had to fight against opponents who have branded it a collection of "swindlers and thieves" and combat a growing sense of unease among voters at Putin's grip on power.

"I shall not vote. I shall cross out all the parties on the list and write: 'Down with the party of swindlers and thieves,'" said Nikolai Markovtsev, an independent deputy in the Vladivostok city legislature on the Pacific seaboard.

Opponents say Putin has crafted a brittle political system which excludes independent voices and that Russians are growing tired of Putin's swaggering image.

Putin is almost certain to win the March 4 presidential election and could extend his rule until 2024 if he wins the maximum two more terms.

But sports fans booed and whistled at Putin at a Moscow martial arts fight last month -- an exceptional event in a country inclined to show respect and restraint towards leaders.