Kejriwal's pet proposal, Jan Lokpal Bill runs into hurdles; Solicitor Gen terms it 'unconstitutional'

NEW DELHI: A day after Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran wrote to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung about the Janlokpal Bill being ' unconstitutional', Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that he would meet Jung to discuss the same.

The AAP government's plans to enact the Jan Lokpal Bill in a public venue next week faced fresh hurdles with Parasaran insisting that Lt Governor's prior approval is necessary while key ally Congress toughened its opposition.

Parasaran, whose opinion was sought by Jung on the constitutionality of the Delhi Government's proposal to enact the Bill without seeking Centre's clearance, is understood to have conveyed to him that it will be illegal if enacted without the consent.

Commenting on what Parasaran wrote, AAP member Ashutosh said, "We are well within our rights to pass the Jan Lokpal. This seems like a conspiracy against AAP. L-G needs to work for Delhi not Congress." "How has the discussion between L-G and Solicitor, which is confidential, been leaked? They need to answer that," Ashutosh said.

On his part Parasaran said, "It's on the governor to consider our opinions and act as he sees fit." "I am not worried about politics, we give opinions based on Constitution," Parasaran added.

The SG is also believed to have told the LG that Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, passed last year by Parliament, is in force and a Lokpal Bill in Delhi will be repugnant to the central law. Therefore, it will require the assent of the President.

Meanwhile, the Congress, without whose support the AAP government cannot survive, decided that it oppose the Bill at the introduction stage itself.

Holding the government's plan as unconstitutional, the Delhi Congress leaders decided to meet the Lt Governor and urge him to prevail upon the government not to go ahead with its plans.

"We will fight the issue tooth and nail. We will not allow the AAP government to do any unconstitutional things," DPCC spokesman Mukesh Sharma said.

Unfazed by criticism, the AAP government has declared that it will go ahead with enacting the law. It plans to introduce the bill in the Delhi assembly on February 13 and discuss it for two days before shifting the proceedings to a sports stadium for passage of the bill.