Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday made light of Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee's bid to seek his suggestions on the proposed Lokpal Bill which is yet to be drafted.
Mukherjee's letter to the CM, delivered through the state's resident commissioner in Delhi, bore no letter number and no enclosures regarding either draft Lokpal Bill (2010) or draft Bill prepared by civil society members or even constitution of Joint Drafting Committee in April 2011.
Nitish, in his reply to Mukherjee, noted, "Your letter contains a questionnaire and seeks my response in the said format on issues enumerated in para 2 (I) to (vi) therein. It is rather surprising that on such vital issues which are engaging the attention of the entire nation, response of the chief ministers and other stakeholders is being sought in such a casual and hurried manner."
"There cannot be any difference of opinion that the issue is of very vital significance and requires to be addressed with utmost seriousness and diligence," he added.
Incidentally, there has already occurred signs of differences within civil societies themselves with regard to the question if PM and Chief Justice of India (CJI) could be brought under the ambit of the proposed Lokpal Bill.
While the exercise over the draft of the proposed Lokpal Bill is still going on despite such differences of opinion, Baba Ramdev has not only aired his veiled difference over the issue, he, in the meantime, has also announced his fast from Saturday demanding that the government bring back black money stashed in safe tax havens abroad.
The main opposition party in Parliament, BJP has also announced its support to Baba Ramdev, but maintained that it would make known its opinion on the proposed Lokpal Bill when it is presented in Parliament.
Nitish also endorsed Baba Ramdev's fast, saying that every individual and every organization had right to do it, as the country was seized with the issue of corruption. Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, speaking at a seminar organized here on Thursday, also said that corruption should be rooted out from society.
Given the context, CM Nitish, in his reply letter to Mukherjee, explained his position, "In my considered view without looking into the contents of the final draft bill, it would be inappropriate to express any opinion."
Besides, he felt that it was the "responsibility of the Central Government to finalize the draft of the bill to be presented before Parliament," and, accordingly, added, "The stage to seek views of the states would arrive only when the draft bill is ready and made available to respective states. In view of the above factual and legal position, I think any comment from my end at this stage would be premature and not in consonance with the spirit of the Constitution of India."
He also said, "The Constitution of India mandates that any bill to be presented before Parliament for its enactment has to be prepared by the Central Government. However, at times, it may be relevant to seek the views of the states, particularly when some of the issues being addressed in the bill impinge on subjects assigned to the states. But that stage would arrive only when the Central Government has firmed up its views and settled the final draft of the bill."
Mukherjee's letter to the CM, delivered through the state's resident commissioner in Delhi, bore no letter number and no enclosures regarding either draft Lokpal Bill (2010) or draft Bill prepared by civil society members or even constitution of Joint Drafting Committee in April 2011.
Nitish, in his reply to Mukherjee, noted, "Your letter contains a questionnaire and seeks my response in the said format on issues enumerated in para 2 (I) to (vi) therein. It is rather surprising that on such vital issues which are engaging the attention of the entire nation, response of the chief ministers and other stakeholders is being sought in such a casual and hurried manner."
"There cannot be any difference of opinion that the issue is of very vital significance and requires to be addressed with utmost seriousness and diligence," he added.
Incidentally, there has already occurred signs of differences within civil societies themselves with regard to the question if PM and Chief Justice of India (CJI) could be brought under the ambit of the proposed Lokpal Bill.
While the exercise over the draft of the proposed Lokpal Bill is still going on despite such differences of opinion, Baba Ramdev has not only aired his veiled difference over the issue, he, in the meantime, has also announced his fast from Saturday demanding that the government bring back black money stashed in safe tax havens abroad.
The main opposition party in Parliament, BJP has also announced its support to Baba Ramdev, but maintained that it would make known its opinion on the proposed Lokpal Bill when it is presented in Parliament.
Nitish also endorsed Baba Ramdev's fast, saying that every individual and every organization had right to do it, as the country was seized with the issue of corruption. Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, speaking at a seminar organized here on Thursday, also said that corruption should be rooted out from society.
Given the context, CM Nitish, in his reply letter to Mukherjee, explained his position, "In my considered view without looking into the contents of the final draft bill, it would be inappropriate to express any opinion."
Besides, he felt that it was the "responsibility of the Central Government to finalize the draft of the bill to be presented before Parliament," and, accordingly, added, "The stage to seek views of the states would arrive only when the draft bill is ready and made available to respective states. In view of the above factual and legal position, I think any comment from my end at this stage would be premature and not in consonance with the spirit of the Constitution of India."
He also said, "The Constitution of India mandates that any bill to be presented before Parliament for its enactment has to be prepared by the Central Government. However, at times, it may be relevant to seek the views of the states, particularly when some of the issues being addressed in the bill impinge on subjects assigned to the states. But that stage would arrive only when the Central Government has firmed up its views and settled the final draft of the bill."
No comments:
Post a Comment