Ramdev opposes bringing PM under ambit of Lokpal

Sehore (MP)/New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) Differences
appeared to have cropped up in the civil society over the
demand for inclusion of the Indian Prime Minister and higher
judiciary in the Lokpal Bill with Baba Ramdev opposing such a
move.
The yoga guru, to whom the government deputed the
topmost tax official to convince him on the steps taken by
government against black money, wondered at a press conference
in Sehore how top positions like the Prime Minister and Chief
Justice of India could be brought under the ambit of Lokpal.
At the same time, he said that he did not want to go
into the controversial issue and involve himself in a public
debate on that.
Baba Ramdev, who lent support to Anna Hazare in his
campaign against corruption when he went on a fast in Jantar
Mantar, however, refused to call off his own fast from June 4
till government conceded all his demands.
Reacting to Baba's comments, Arvind Kejriwal, one of
the members of the joint committee on drafting the Lokpal
Bill, said they would try to convince him about inclusion of
the Prime Minister in the Lokpal ambit.
He said probably the yoga guru may not be aware of the
full implications of the issue and they would try to convince
him why it was necessary.
Kejriwal said if the Prime Minister was kept out of
the Lokpal, then there could be ten departments under him
which would straight away come out of the anti-corruption
watchdog.
Then other ministers can also ask the bribe-givers to
pass on all the bribes to the Prime Minister who enjoys
immunity. "If the Prime Minister becomes corrupt then nothing
can be done about it," he said.
Asked whether those under Hazare's moment will
participate in Ramdev's hunger strike in Ram Lila Maidan in
Delhi, Kejriwal said they have their own programmes around
that time and will see what is to be done.
Baba Ramdev stressed that his agitation was "not
against any individual party" but against a system that
perpetuates corruption.
"There is no question of postponing the Satyagraha as
long as we do not reach at any time bound, credible and
decisive point of agreement on all our demands.
"This Satyagragh will continue till the government
does not accept all our demands related to corruption, black
money and an overhaul of the system," he said while demanding
death penalty for the perpetrators of corrution.
He also said that there would be "no damage to
national property" during his agitation.
At the same time, he said that a "positive dialogue"
is taking place between him and the government and some
agreements on certain issues have also been reached.
The yoga guru said that Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee and CBDT Chairman Sudhir Chandra were in touch with
him. "Even today I would like to say that the talks are
positive", he said.
His comments came a day after the Cabinet Committee on
Political Affairs (CCPA) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh met in the national capital to discuss the issue of
black money in view of the yoga guru's proposed agitation.
The government, after facing the difficult situation
created by Anna Hazare's fast-unto-death last month, is keen
to avoid recurrence of such a situation that Ramdev's fast
could create.