Keep NGOs out Lokpal bill ambit, says BJP

New Delhi – The BJP Friday asked the government to agree to its suggestions for k! eeping privately-funded NGOs out of the ambit of the Lokpal bill and transfer officials during investigation only with approval of the ombudsman.

In a post on Facebook, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley said that the select committee of the Rajya Sabha on the bill came out with recommendations which were substantially unanimous but some changes have been made by the government.

Jaitley, who is leader of opposition in the parliament’s upper house, said there were four areas of disagreement that he had on joint reading of the recommendations of the select committee and the government’s amendments.

There cannot be a provision for a religion based reservation in the matter of jurisdiction of Lokpal, he said.

“Transfer of officers during investigation can only be done with prior approval of the Lokpal and not otherwise. No opportunity of hearing can be given at the stage of preliminary inquiry to a delinquent official since that would de! feat the very purpose of the inquiry itself,” he said.

All NGOs which were neither funded by the government nor by foreign sources should be outside the jurisdiction of the Lokpal, he demanded.