BJP agrees with most provisions Jan Lokpal Bill

With several versions of the Lokpal Bill doing the rounds, the Bharatiya Janata Party is in favour of inclusion of the prime minister in the ambit of Lokpal with certain riders and agrees with most of the provisions of Jan Lokpal Bill and Aruna Roy's draft, party sources said in New Delhi on Thursday.

"We are for inclusion of the prime minister within the ambit of Lokpal but with two riders. The external affairs and national security issues should be kept out of the purview of Lokpal while dealing with the prime minister," a senior BJP leader said.

The view was formed after some deliberations within the principal opposition when party leaders felt the prime minister is bound by the Prevention of Corruption Act, the CrPC and IPC and so cannot be exempted from the Lokpal ambit.

The Jan Lokpal Bill does not want any riders while asking that the PM be within the Lokpal's purview.

The BJP also wants that the higher judiciary should be made accountable through a separate strong legislation dealing specifically with the matter instead of putting it under the Lokpal, the sources said. Team Anna's draft says higher judiciary should be within the Lokpal.

However, the party has stated categorically that some aspects of the draft are not acceptable to it and that some other clauses of the Bill can be accepted with suitable amendments.

BJP is strictly against the Jan Lokpal clause giving the ombudsman powers to tap phones and to make MPs accountable for what they say inside the Parliament.

"We want an effective and strong Lokpal but not one which forms a parallel government," another senior party leader said. The party wants that the selection panel for choosing the Lokpal should not have a majority of the government members as then the persons would end up being a government nominee.