Anna Hazare slams amended Lokpal Bill, Kiran Bedi backs it

NEW DELHI: Differences cropped up in Team Anna with Hazare today dismissing the amended Lokpal Bill as "ineffective" and a "betrayal" by the government but Kiran Bedi feels the new proposals address most of their concerns.

Addressing a press conference, Hazare threatened to go back to the people if the government did not keep its promise of brining a strong Lokpal Bill. He specifically demanded making CBI and CVC independent bodies on par with Election Commission.

"The Government has been betraying us and people of the country repeatedly....If required, I will go back to Ramlila Maidan to demand a strong and effective Lokpal Bill," he said.

However, Bedi backed the proposed legislation and expressed happiness over the amended Bill paving the way for constitution of a collegium to select the chief of Central Bureau of Investigation.

"From nothing to something to more, as we move on! This is how we can read the lokpal bill! Unless we want to stay at nothing!" she tweeted. She also said most of the concerns have been addressed in the draft and cited the appointment of CBI chief and other changes as positive ones.

"(CBI's) its Anti Corruption wing has been brought under oversight of Lokpal. Which is what we needed!" she said.

Her remarks contradict Hazare's stand that the amended Lokpal bill was a "farce".

Rejecting the Lokpal Bill, Hazare said the fight against corruption will not be effective if government did not relinquish its control over CBI and CVC.

Hazare also criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh accusing him of failing to keep his promise on specific demands based on which he had ended his 12-day-long fast in August 2011.

The Union Cabinet yesterday amended the controversial Lokpal Bill, delinking it from the setting up of Lokayuktas in the states and transferring powers of sanction of prosecution against public servant to the ombudsman.