Bangalore: Lokpal Bill joint draft committee member Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday alleged that vested interests seemed to have ganged up to discredit the proposed legislation by unleashing a sustained campaign to spread misconceptions and falsehood.
He said vested interests first made an attack on the individual members of the committee and now they are attacking the bill per se questioning the provisions of the bill by spreading wrong information about it.
"You would see various articles in various media questioning the bill and presenting the facts in a manner which the bill does not talk of", Kejriwal told a press meet at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore after civil society members in the committee, along with social activists Kiran Bedi and Swami Agnivesh, had an interactive session.
He said there is a sustained effort to discredit the whole exercise, citing instances of it being projected as "cure (Lokpal bill) is worse than the disease (corruption)", as a "threat to democracy" and that it (Lokpal) would become a "Frankenstein".
Vested interests are spreading misconceptions all across the country, Kejriwal alleged.
"India does not have a choice (now but to have Lokpal) International body (UNCAC) is looking at us (as to) when do we implement", she said. "UNCAC provides for independent anti-corruption authority in the country. Lok Pal bill will provide for that," Bedi said.
Responding to questions on blackmoney stashed away in tax havens abroad by Indians, particularly Swiss banks, Hegde accused the Union Government of dragging its feet vis-a-vis legislative action to confiscate and recover such money.
"There is a need for change of laws because similar laws should be there in both countries (India and Switzerland or other countries offering tax havens). Why is the Government not doing it?", Hegde asked.
Hegde said in October 2008, the Swiss government notified the countries including India, Russia and China, about their citizens having money in Swiss banks, with Indians topping the list with $1456 billion in accounts there.
"But in two years, no legislative steps have been taken... Every time, the issue comes, they (Union Government) say we are consulting lawyers," he said, adding it just takes two months to frame legislations compatible with Swiss laws.
Kejriwal said there is a suggestion in the proposed bill to empower Lok Pal to probe money trail if a corruption case taken up for investigation by Lok Pal leads to uncovering of money stashed away abroad.
In the public consultations held in different places by panel members, there is a consensus to bring Prime Minister and Judiciary under ambit of Lok Pal, he said.
Drafting of the bill is "actually slow" and "we are all concerned", he said, adding, panel member Shanti Bhushan has, written a letter to the panel Chairman and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee saying day-to-day meetings are necessary.
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