Parliament Panel may surprise all: Singhvi

"Give the Standing Committee a chance. Allow us to do our work. We may collectively surprise all those who are skeptical or cynical," Abhishek Manu Singhvi said here.

He said the Parliamentary Committee shared people's concerns over corruption.
Singhvi has been maintaining that the panel examining the Lokpal Bill is open to all kinds of views to formulate a strong legislation and has not pre-judged the issue.

Committee sources said its next meeting is expected in the first week of September.

Hazare, however, wants a revised bill on Lokpal to be passed in Parliament by August 31.

The Committee has already invited views of diverse stakeholders on the proposed measure and Singhvi has said the panel will take them up clause by clause to include ideal elements of each proposal to try and create the best and the strongest bill.

A Congress MP has submitted Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill for consideration before the Committee.

"It is another input," Singhvi said, reiterating that the Committee is open to "all inputs".

He maintained that "the Standing Committee is the best platform for exchange of views and discussion in a balanced manner and everyone should maintain its dignity, instead of criticising it."

Submission of Hazare's Bill before Parliamentary Standing Committee assumes significance in the light of recent indications by the government that it was working to accommodate some of the recommendations of Team Anna over the Lokpal issue.

BJP MP Varun Gandhi has already given a notice in the Lok Sabha for tabling the Jan Lokpal Bill as a private members' bill.