Rough ride for anti-corruption bill in Indian parliament

The Indian government submitted two key bills to parliament Thursday, including anti-corruption legislation that risks triggering a repeat of mass protests that rocked the country in August. The proposed law would create a powerful new ombudsman, or “Lokpal”, tasked with probing and prosecuting senior politicians and civil servants suspected of graft.
An original draft — deemed too weak by its critics — saw millions of people take to the streets of cities across India four months ago to denounce the corruption that permeates all levels of Indian society. Leaders of the Hazare campaign slammed the new version tabled on Thursday, saying it was even weaker than the previous effort.
“The bill seeks to promote corruption and protect the corrupt,” said top Hazare aide, Arvind Kejriwal. The main points of contention focus on the ambit of the ombudsman’s office and its powers of investigation. The government bill offers only limited jurisdiction over the prime minister and requires the ombudsman to put any criminal probes in the hands of the government-controlled Criminal Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Hazare and a number of opposition parties want the ombudsman to control any CBI investigations. “Under this bill, the lokpal will be a puppet of the government. The government should recall the bill and redraft it,” Kejriwal said. Another bill submitted Thursday aims to provide subsidised food to hundreds of millions of people — a populist but hugely costly project that will strain treasury finances.