Team Anna has given the Centre four weeks to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in parliament.
Justice Santosh Hegde, a member of the team and former Lokayukta of Karnataka, said this in Pune on Monday.
He was speaking to the media on the bill.
Responding to the remarks made by the Union law minister Salman Khurshid that there could not be a timeframe to pass the bill, Justice Hegde said: “We have given the Union government four weeks to pass the bill. Let us see what happens.”
Stressing the importance of Jan Lokpal Bill, justice Hegde said the one uniform act for all Lok Ayuktas for states across India will help strengthen the office of the state Lok Ayuktas.
“At present, powers of the state Lok Ayukta varies from state to state. I think the Lok Ayukta of Maharashtra is not strong enough. Moreover, some Lok Ayuktas are given power of administrative reforms and some are bestowed with power of anti-corruption. But the Jan Lokpal will bring uniform power to all Lok Ayuktas across the country,” Hegde said.
Hegde said there is no difference between him and Team Anna.
Speaking about the privilege motion moved in parliament against Kiran Bedi and Om Puri for mocking and lambasting the parliament, Hegde said:
“Such privilege motions should be moved in extreme cases.”
The government, he added, was responsible for building the tension between it and Team Anna.
“Congress spokesman Manish Tewari had termed Anna as corrupt. Such comments had increased the tension,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Hegde alleged that the Union government lacked the will to frame a proper Lokpal bill after Anna’s initial hunger strike in April.
“Had Anna not staged the second agitation, the Union government would have passed the Lokpal bill which it had drafted,” said Justice Hegde.
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