Paswan threatens to quit Lokpal parliamentary panel

New Delhi, Nov 25 (ANI): Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief and member of the parliamentary panel of Lokpal Bill Drafting Committee, Ram Vilas Paswan, has threatened to resign if there is no reservation for lower castes, women and minorities.

Talking to reporters here, Paswan said that he wanted minorities, including women to have a reservation in the ombudsman's main body in the proposed legislation.

"I am disappointed, and I might resign. I always wanted reservation for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, and women. Be it in the Lokpal committee or any other one. However, in the Lokpal committee, it must be there. If it does not happen, then I will think it over, discussions are going on, and, I will see when the final draft comes out," he added.

The chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said he was satisfied with the consensus reached among members of the panel on all issues.

Singhvi said that everything was on track and a final meeting would be held to discuss the report to be presented to parliament.

"We are extremely happy, that although we had fixed two days for deliberations, internal deliberations, today and tomorrow we have covered in our last two sets of meetings and today a very large number of 20 odd issues. There has been a very happy, constructive, fruitful consensus on most issues, infact almost all issues. We are now going to the report circulation stage after which in the very near future we expect to meet to adopt the report to be submitted to parliament," he added.

The Lokpal Bill is seen as a weapon to root out corruption and nepotism from the government machinery and public life.he proposed Bill envisages the setting up of a national anti-corruption watchdog to check financial mismanagement and corrupt practices that have deeply pervaded several democratic and civic institutions of India. (ANI)