Winter session to be extended over lokpal; bill may incorporate quotas

It is now virtually certain that Parliament will have an extended winter session in order to consider the vexed lokpal bill for a central corruption watchdog. Scheduled to end on 22 December, the session will continue for at least a couple of days more.

The union cabinet is expected to consider the bill on Monday and introduce it in Parliament on Tuesday, according to the most recent reports. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will return from his Russia visit tonight.

It is more than likely that the final draft of the bill will incorporate the ubiquitous quota system as suggested by the parliamentary standing committee studying the bill. There could be as much as 50-per cent reservation for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, other backward castes, minority communities and women.

Quotas were demanded by several leaders at an all-party meeting held on Wednesday, with Ram Vilas Paswan of the Lok Janshakti Party and Lalu Prasad Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal particularly keen on reservations. However, the exact size of the quotas is yet to be decided.

Anti-corruption crusade leader Anna Hazare and his team have indicated that they would defer the massive agitation planned from 27 December with an indefinite fast by Hazare and picketing of politicians' houses if the Parliament session is extended over the lokpal bill.

However, team Anna core committee member Arvind Gaur said on Friday, ''We are keeping a watch, and will decide about it at the core committee meeting.''