Lokpal Bill: Dark and disappointing day in Parliament's democracy, say legal experts

NEW DELHI: Constitutional experts were today divided on who should be blamed for the fiasco over Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha, holding both the Government as also the Opposition responsible for leaving the historic legislation in limbo.

Describing the midnight high drama in the Upper House as unprecedented in the history of Parliament, former Chief Justice of India V N Khare said that interest of the nation is taking back seat and MPs are more concerned about individual interest.

"I was awake till midnight and was observing the proceedings. I was amazed to see what was happening in the House. Nobody thinks in terms of nation and they think about there own self," Justice Khare told PTI.

He said that the opposition was raising questions on federalism but the state governments would not implement the law if it is not made mandatory for them.

"Parliamentarians were raising questions on federalism but it is a truth that no state would implement it if it is not made mandatory. No one wants to go to jail like B S Yeddyurappa (former Karnataka Chief Minister)," he said.

Holding the Centre responsible for it, constitutional expert Subhash C Kashyap said the House is supreme and the government should have put the bill for voting in the Upper House.

"As a student of the Constitution and a historian of the Parliamentary democracy, I think it is an unprecedented situation. It is most unfortunate and an ugly scar in the history of Parliamentary democracy," he said.