Choreographed chaos stalls Lokpal in RS

"The government did not have the numbers to pass their weak Lokpal Bill and so they created the chaos. A government which runs away has not political and moral authority to run the government," Jaitley said.

"The day will go as the most shameful day of Indian democracy," said BJP leader Tarun Vijay.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Derek O´Brien, whose party became a game changer by opposing the creation of a Lokayukta, called the Rajya Sabha episode on Thursday as shameful as well.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which demanded a vote, called it murder of democracy in midnight as the Lokpal Bill got stuck.

"The government has no moral right to continue in government," said BJP leader Yashwant Sinha echoing his colleague and Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Arun Jaitley.

Congress, however, said 187 amendments were moved and it was impossible to deal with those in such a short time.

Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said people would have laughed at the government if they had passed the bill like this.

Team Anna member Kiran Bedi said the government is now exposed and the country got to see what they suffered the whole year with the government behind the closed doors.

She said Mamata Banerjee was the politician whose mind they never knew because she did not ever reply or meet them over the Lokpal issue.

Mamata Banerjee, who apparently does not seem to like a Lokayukta imposed on her government, could not be tamed by the Congress on the issue.

As the midnight deadline approached, it was clear that the Lokpal Bill voting would not take place in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday as part of Congress strategy.

As the Rajya Sabha members debated the anti-corruption ombudsman law, that was passed by the Lok Sabha, the possibility of no voting stalked.

Rajniti Prasad of Lalu Prasad´s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in the house tore up papers and threw them in the air and shouted they do not want a Lokpal and it would not work. He started the chaos and allegations flew thick and fast that Lalu Prasad´s party colluded with the Congress to choreograph the chaos.

Thursday was the last day of the Winter Session of the Parliament, that was extended to accommodate the debate and voting of Bill. Eight hours have been set aside for the Lokpal discussion.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted a vote by midnight.

The bill was slammed by regional parties, including the Congress´s biggest United Progressive Alliance´s ally Trinamool Congress, for undermining the federal structure of India by enforcing the concept of a Lokayukta in every state.

Trinamool said it supports the bill if an amendment is made to exclude the states from appointing a Lokayukta since it is a state subject.

The Rajya Sabha became a battleground on Thursday as opposition parties and UPA allies criticized the Congress-led UPA government over the Lokpal Bill.

The ombudsman bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Narayanasamy, even though the fate of the long-awaited anti-graft law appeared largely uncertain over looming cloud of dissent among lawmakers.

Tabling the law Narayanasamy appeared defensive, refuting charges that the government had hurried into drafting the Bill by activists led by Anna Hazare as he explained the steps that had preceded the finalisation of the draft.

BJP attacked the bill and called it a ´phoney bill´.

Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said that the investigation process as mentioned in the anti-graft bill does not suit thew criminal laws of India.

"The investigation process in the Lokpal mentioned is alien to our criminal laws. You are creating an impossible mechanism. Everybody is saying it is an unworkable mechanism. There cannot be any investigation under this mechanism," he said.

Jaitley said that the government is trying to bring a ´phoney bill´.

The government has consciously brought a law which is constitutionally vulnerable, he alleged.

Congress soon refuted to the allegations made by BJP and said that top opposition leaders like Arun Jaitley is playing the role ´Narad muni´ and trying to influence allies.

Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: "By talking about federalism, Jaitley wants to play the role of ´Narad muni´ and appeal to some of our friends on our side."

Speaking about the inclusion of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the paradigm of Lokpal, Singhvi said that discussing on the issue is a serious business and it should not be ´ridiculed´.

He attacked BJP and said that the opposition party is trying all the steps to prevent the passage of the anti-graft bill.

"BJP is making excuses not to pass the Lokpal," Singhvi said.

Meanwhile, UPA government found itself in deep troubles as the key ally Trinamool Congress (TMC) clarified that they would not strike off the two amendments that they moved in connection to the Lokayuktas.

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee told her party to ask for votes on the proposed amendments.

The strong stance have made it difficult for the government to pass the ombudsman bill in the Rajya Sabha.

"My leader has directed us to oppose this bill to the extent that it relates to Lokayukta," Sukhendu Shekhar Roy of TMC said.

"Trinamool Congress opposes Lokpal Bill in RajyaSabha with respect to provision on setting up of Lokayuktas. If the image of any CM is affected then the image of the country is also affected," he said.

Roy said that the bill would affect the 'autonomy' of the states.

TMC amendment gained the support of Samajwadi Party (SP), Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) who demanded the removal of Lokayukta clauses from the current bill.

The Samajwadi Party is likely to vote against the Lokpal Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi met the top party leaders on Thursday evening to decide on the voting on the Lokpal Bill.

According to party sources, the Congress Core Group meeting was held at 5 pm on Thursday to decide whether to take a vote or not.

The government continuously consulted the ally and might even accept the demands of the TMC, media reports said on Thursday.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) Member of the Parliament (MP) Sitaram Yechury supported the formation of a strong and powerful ombudsman body but demanded that the government should keep the spirit of the constitution in mind while making the laws.

He asked the UPA government to accept the amendenments that were sited by the opposition members in the bill.

"Can't tackle graft without including India Incorporation under review of Lokpal. Corporates fund elections," Yechury said.

Speaking about the removal of CBI from the control of the government, Yechury said," CBI should be freed from government control."

He said that government has missed target and the intentions in connection to the strong anti-corruption bill.

He said: "Kahin pe nigaahein, kahin pe nishaana (intentions and targets are mismatched)."

"We have taken a vow that we cannot pass anything that is unconstitutional," Satish Chandra Mishra of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) said.

"Lokpal Bill is designed to destroy federal structure of the government," he said.

He said that CBI has to be an independent body in order to keep it out of the control of the party that come to power.

"This is not offering a mazboot (strong) Lokpal, it is offering a majboor (dependent) Lokpal," Mishra said.

The Shiv Sena also opposed the bill and four members of the party would vote against the anti-graft bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Shiv Sena leader B Raut confirmed that they would oppose the bill.

The Janata Dal (United) leader in Rajya Sabha Shivanand Tiwari said that the government should have kept the directive principals of the constitution while framing the bill.

"Directive principle of Constitution should have been kept in mind while making this law," Tiwary said.

Tiwary criticized the laws and said: "This law is about punishing the corrupt person but the question is, does this law stop corruption?"

BSP leader SC Mishra voiced for an autonomous CBI that is completely out of the control of the government.

"Autonomous CBI is needed and the government should not have any control over it," Mishra said.

The BSP clarified on Thursday that they would not walk out of Lokpal Bill vote.

On Tuesday, an eleven-hour marathon debate concluded with the fruition of a four-decade-old effort to install a national ombudsman, however the constitutional amendment mooted to grant it the a statute label was defeated for a lack of majority.