Congress terms bypoll victory in Haryana a good sign

New Delhi, Dec 4 (ANI): With the ruling Congress Party winning the Ratia (SC) Assembly constituency in Fatehabad district, Union Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla today said the party's bypoll victory in Haryana coupled with the defeat of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the bypolls in Karnataka is a good sign.

"The victory in the Haryana polls is a big achievement in itself as Congress had been losing there continuously since 1982 and now it has won. In Karnataka, the defeat of the BJP is a signal for them that their popularity is declining there," said Shukla.

With win in Ratia, the Congress led by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has got a simple majority taking its tally to 46 members in the 90-member House.

In Karnataka, giving a jolt to ruling BJP, former Minister B Sreeramulu today won the Bellary (Rural) Assembly constituency byelection, which he contested as an independent after quitting the party, by a huge margin of over 46,000 votes.

Commenting on the passage of the Lokpal Bill, Shukla said the Standing Committee was yet to submit its final report before the matter is taken further.

"We are waiting for the Bill from the Standing Committee and it is also the commitment of the government. The Prime Minister has also said that once the Bill comes to us from the Standing Committee, then it will be presented to the cabinet once the amendments are made. We are committed to bringing the Bill in the Parliament and we shall fulfil it," he said.

The Jan Lokpal Bill is seen as a weapon to root out corruption and nepotism from the government machinery and in public life.

The proposed Bill envisages the setting up of a national anti-corruption watchdog to check financial mismanagement and corrupt practices prevalent in several democratic and civic institutions of India.

Shukla further condoled the demise of Dev Anand and described veteran Bollywood actor as a 'great philosopher'.

"I think I take Dev Anand as a great philosopher. He has taught us how to live life, how to face the problems of life, that was a great contribution of Dev Anand. As far as Bollywood and the film industry is concerned, his contributions are immense," said Shukla.

"The way he led his life, the way he acted in his movies, the kind of movies he produced, I think nobody can match those kinds of levels, niches, articulations, which he provided in his movies. I think it is not just a great loss to the Indian film industry, but to the nation as well," he added.

Bollywood's evergreen star Dev Anand, whose flamboyant image and innate romantic spirit swayed millions of fans, died in London last night following cardiac arrest. (ANI)