Govt not keen on bringing CBI under Lokpal: Team Anna

With government appearing not keen on bringing Central Bureau of Investigation under Lokpal, Team Anna on Tuesday raised the pitch over the proposed legislation alleging that the UPA was making a fool of the whole country as it was not letting control over the investigative agency go.

Team Anna also asked the Bharatiya Janata Party whether it was firm on a strong Lokpal as it was on issues of Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into 2G scam and FDI in retail and cautioned the opposition party against "double speak" on the question of bringing CBI under the ombudsman.

Activist Arvind Kejriwal alleged that CBI does not do its work to firmly deal with corruption and instead what it does is to keep the coalition government going at the behest of its political masters. It will continue to do that if it does not come under the proposed Lokpal, he added.

"The government has to give that (CBI) up. This is what the government's commitment in the UN Convention Against Corruption. Government is not giving that up because government's intentions are unholy," Kejriwal said.

Viewing government's move with suspicion, another Team Anna member Kiran Bedi said, "Why is the government making a Draupadi of CBI?"

Pressing for inclusion of CBI under Lokpal, she said, "Unless an independent Lokpal replaces government for oversight over CBI, expect no change in the anti-corruption systems. Let's not be fooled. Mere tweaking will not work. It will dilute whatever is remaining."

On BJP's stand on CBI, Bedi said, "Is BJP as determined on Lokpal as it was on JPC and FDI? When will BJP make its stand on CBI categorical. Now that stand of Congress is evident!"

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan, another Team Anna member, said the government plans to keep CBI out of Lokpal control "defeats the whole object" of having an ombudsman.

"Corruption always involves the government and therefore having a government controlled agency to investigate corruption will result in conflict of interests. So therefore this is most unsatisfactory," he said.