Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday announced that he had started working on the Jan Lokpal Bill, providing for appointment of an independent body to investigate corruption cases. Sources said the Bill may be tabled in the Assembly in the upcoming budget session in June.
The much-awaited move comes amid criticism by the Opposition parties that the AAP had forgotten the Jan Lokpal Bill since it came back to power for the second time in the Capital in February this year.
While Mr. Kejriwal made the announcement about his fresh work on the Bill on his Twitter handle, sources in the Delhi Government told The Hindu the modalities for introducing the Bill are yet to be worked out.
Mr. Kejriwal had resigned on February 14 last year after suffering a defeat in the Assembly on the Jan Lokpal Bill. He had claimed that he was not allowed to introduce the Bill in the Assembly and recommended dissolution of the House and holding of fresh elections.
While 42 MLAs, including 31 from the BJP and eight from the Congress, had opposed the Bill during Mr. Kejriwal’s previous tenure, the Opposition in the 70-member Assembly this time comprises only three BJP MLAs.
While resigning from the post after his 49-day tenure last year, Mr. Kejriwal had blamed the BJP and the Congress and claimed that the introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Assembly was an issue of “utmost priority” for him. The AAP won with an unprecedented majority, bagging 67 seats, in this year’s polls on the promise of rooting out corruption in the Capital.
