Corporates, NGOs should be under Lokpal: Digvijaya Singh

NEW DELHI: Congress has said the proposed Lokpal Bill should bring corporate sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under its ambit and demanded that members of the bill's drafting committee should declare their financial assets.

The joint drafting committee should consider a legislation similar to transparency laws in the United States, said Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh. "The joint committee should consider what is there in the US. The Lokpal Bill should also bring under its purview corporate players and NGOs." Singh said that all protests and rallies organised by civil society need funds and there should be transparency in that. "Where does the money come from," asked Singh.

Though the Lokpal Bill could be an important instrument in fighting corruption, the country really needed a comprehensive strategy to fight the menace, he said. Senior Congress leader Mohan Prakash said Congress believed in a comprehensive strategy to bring probity in public life.

A day after e civil society activists demanded that all the proceedings of the joint drafting committee be videographed for transparency, Congress threw a challenge before the committee members. The party demanded that the committee members should declare their assets. Singh said, "politicians declare their assets regularly. Keeping in the highest traditions of transparency, the joint drafting committee should also declare assets."

The demand seems to have been triggered by Anna Hazare's disdain for politicians and his allegations how voters are 'bought by money power'. Singh said, "I respect Hazareji a lot. I have very high regard for him. I touch his feet when I meet him. But he should not have said this about politicians. There are all kinds of people in all walks of life."

When asked how Congress viewed the presence of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Baba Ramdev on the dais, he said, "Hazareji and his associates should themselves introspect about the people present on the dais." Earlier, Congress had raised questions about RSS' connection.