Houses to reconvene after Xmas for lokpal
20 Dec 2011
The union cabinet has cleared the draft of the lokpal bill for a central corruption watchdog, and the government has decided it will need to extend the winter session of Parliament for its passage.
The houses will reconvene for three days from 27 December after a Christmas break. Parliament was officially scheduled to be prorogued on 22 December. A unanimous decision to this effect was taken by the Lok Sabha business advisory committee.
The whistleblower bill and the judicial accountability bill will also be discussed in Parliament then. The lokpal and whistleblower bills will be discussed together and the judicial accountability bill will be discussed separately, say reports.
Parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal said the session was being extended to allow for a proper discussion.
Activist Anna Hazare and his team have however dismissed the government version of the bill as eyewash. Hazare said the bill was ''good for nothing''; and he would carry on his proposed fast and accompanying general agitation from 27 December.
