New Delhi, March 23
With the Opposition insisting at the all-party meet held under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s chairmanship today, on deleting Lokayukta from Lokpal Bill, the government seems to be veering round to ceding the Lokayukta to the states as a compromise formula.

A government source summed up the two-hour session attended among others, by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Opposition Leader Arun Jaitley, AB Bardhan (CPI), Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Ram Gopal Yadav and Mohan Singh (SP), Satish Mishra (BSP) and Tiruchi Shiva (DMK), besides leaders of AIADMK, BJPD, TDP, Akali Dal, LJP and RJD, saying, “One thing that emerged unanimously is that the states want to be allowed to set up their own Lokayuktas” and added, “Government is not rigid as is clear from the fact we called the all-party meeting.”

Earlier, Jaitley demanded delinking state Lokayuktas from Lokpal Bill, taking CBI out of the purview of the government and bringing it under the Lokpal, revision of the appointment and removal procedure of Lokpal to reduce government hold on the institution of Lokpal.

Jaitley’s opposition to reservation in the appointment and selection and the Lokpal Bench itself and the opposition to bringing foreign-funded NGOs under the Lokpal did not find much favour with others. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 27 but in the Rajya Saba, with the UPA partner changing sides and opposing the Bill, the government had to hastily abandon its passage at the last minute. It has now promised to bring in the Bill this session.

But the Left leaders felt that failing consensus, the government may carry the Bill to the Monsoon Session.