NEW DELHI/RALEGAN SIDDHI: Parliament today passed the crucial Lokpal Bill, with the Lok Sabha adopting the measure as amended by the Rajya Sabha after a short discussion, amid the din created by pro- and anti-Telangana members.

Samajwadi Party and Shiv Sena members, opposing the Bill, staged a walk-out in protest, as their counterparts from other parties, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj, supported the measure.

Gandhi sought extension of the Winter Session to pass six more Bills which were "part of the comprehensive anti- corruption framework" of the UPA government.

"The Lokpal Bill alone is not enough to fight corruption. What we need is a comprehensive anti-corruption code. The UPA government has prepared anti-corruption framework.

"Eight new central laws have been brought...We should complete the unfinished work of fighting corruption...Six anti-corruption bills are pending. If necessary, can we not extend this session of Parliament," Gandhi said as the debate began on the key Bill to create an anti-graft ombudsman.

Noting that the Lokpal Bill was part of this comprehensive framework, he said the RTI law was the first on the UPA list.

The others which remain pending are prevention of corruption amendment, right to citizens for time-bound delivery of goods and services, public procurement, foreign bribery, judicial accountability and the whistleblowers Bills, Gandhi said.

Swaraj supported the measure but attacked the Congress for clamouring to take credit for it, saying "the people of this country and the old man (Anna Hazare) who has undertaken fast several times deserve the credit." 

Earlier, Speaker Meira Kumar allowed the Bill, as amended by the Upper House, to be laid and taken up for consideration by the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, Anna Hazare on Wednesday broke his nine-day fast shortly after the Lok Sabha passed the Lokpal Bill, and announced he would form "watchdog bodies" comprising people of "impeccable integrity" to keep an eye on how the law is enforced.

Looking a bit frail yet brimming with enthusiasm after the landmark Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha, Hazare thanked all parties, barring the Samajwadi Party, for their support, but obliquely criticised his former protégés in the Aaam Aadmi Party, his fellow travellers in the Jan Lokpal movement, who have dubbed the new legislation as "Jokepal" bill.

Hazare, who had been crusading for anti-corruption ombudsman for long and had forced the passage of the Bill in the Lok Sabha in 2011 through his fast at Ramlila Maidan, hoped the Bill is signed into a law within 1-2 months.

The 76-year-old Gandhian, however, said mere enactment of the law would not serve the purpose and announced he would form "watchdog bodies" in states and districts to keep an eye on how the law was being enforced.

"The law will be meaningless unless it is implemented and enforced properly. I will constitute watchdog bodies at all levels...in states, districts everywhere.

"These bodies having retired judges, state police chiefs and others with impeccable integrity will keep vigilance on how the law is implemented. Only then the people will benefit from this law," he said.

Hazare, who thanked everybody, from MPs to political parties, Rajya Sabha's select committee, to policemen at his fast venue, the 'pandalwala' to the doctors who looked after him during the hunger strike, his fourth for the Lokpal, chose not to make any mention of Arvind Kejriwal and others from the AAP, who played a role in building the movement. — PTI

Outrage in Parliament over diplomat Khobragade's arrest

NEW DELHI: Amidst outrage expressed by members in Parliament, India on Wednesday asserted that it will intervene “effectively and specifically” to ensure the return and restoration of dignity of its Deputy Consul General in New York who has been arrested on charges of visa rules violation.

Responding to concerns expressed by members across party lines in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid condemned the US action and said he will not return to the House if he fails in his responsibility to bring back the arrested diplomat Devyani Khobragade.

Spelling out the series of steps initiated to scale down the privileges granted to U.S. diplomats in India, he said there was a “conspiracy” in which Khobragade was “virtually trapped”.

He said the diplomat is “innocent” and the US action was unwarranted. “It is not illegality that she is accused of, but the illegality she refused to oblige,” he said.

Maintaining that the government was not over-reacting by taking a slew of measures against the US, Mr. Khurshid said the treatment meted out to Khobragade had “not happened out of blue” and there is a “history” behind it.

He asserted that the government is determined and “will intervene effectively and specifically to ensure that dignity of the diplomat is preserved.” Khurshid made suo motu statements in both the Houses after members expressed outrage with demands that a resolution be passed to condemn the US action.

“It is my responsibility. We will bring back the diplomat (arrested in New York) and restore her dignity. If I fail to do it, I will not return to this House,” he said in the Rajya Sabha.

In the Lok Sabha, he said, “First and foremost, our effort is to bring her out of this situation and then we will talk to the US government.” — PTI

Khobragade has diplomatic immunity, says her attorney

Washington: Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, arrested last week for alleged visa fraud, is protected from prosecution by virtue of her diplomatic status and this is an embarrassing failure of the American international protocol, her attorney has said.

"Dr Khobragade is protected from prosecution by virtue of her diplomatic status. This entire prosecution represents a significant error in judgement and an embarrassing failure of US international protocol, her attorney Daniel N. Arshack said.

He expressed hope that the matter will be promptly resolved with "diplomats with authority at the highest levels of the Indian and US governments will confer and conclude that it is simply not in the mutual interests of our countries to continue with this ill-advised prosecution." 

NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday said it was fully committed to ensuring security of all diplomats, including those from the US, within confines of its law and pledged full implementation of the Vienna Convention while asking other countries to do the same.

With India stripping US diplomats and their families of privileges, including withdrawing airport passes and removing of security barricades around their embassy in retaliation for the treatment meted out to its Deputy Consul General in New York, Devyani Khobragade, the US said it had conveyed at high levels its expectation that India would continue to fulfil its obligations under the Convention and ensure safety and security of its diplomats.

Reacting to the US remarks, the Spokesperson in External Affairs Ministry said, “The Vienna Conventions are global conventions and all countries are committed towards it. For diplomats like us the Vienna Conventions are the shield and armour that protect us.

“We are committed to implementing the Vienna Conventions, will implement them fully and ask them to be implemented fully. There is no change in security situation as regards any diplomats in India, including US diplomats. We are fully committed to ensuring security of all diplomats, we will provide full safety and security within confines of Indian law.”

Responding to questions about the withdrawal of certain privileges given by India to US diplomats after the arrest and inhuman treatment of Khobragade, the State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters that the US had conveyed to India its expectations in this regard.

“We’ll continue to work with India to ensure that all of our diplomats and consular officers are being afforded full rights and protections. Safety and security of our facilities as well is something we take very seriously, and we’ll keep working with the Indians on that,” she said. — PTI

NEW DELHI: Siddharth Vashisht, alias Manu Sharma, who is undergoing life term for killing model Jessica Lall in 1999, was on Wednesday granted nine days parole by the Delhi High Court to appear in postgraduate exams.

Justice Hima Kohli granted parole to Sharma from December 28 till January 5 next year after the police filed a status report informing about his PG examination in human rights, which will commence from December 30.

Justice Kohli, however, made it clear that Sharma will appear in the examination centre in Delhi and not in Chandigarh.

The court also directed Tihar authorities to do the needful for shifting of the examination centre.

Sharma’s counsel told the court that jail authorities have given many certificates to his client acknowledging his good conduct.

He has taken care of 470 children of convicts by financing for their studies, the counsel said.

He said Sharma has not breached any condition laid down by the court earlier and added that this time also whatever condition the court will impose, he will abide by it.

Sharma, son of former Union Minister Venod Sharma, was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing Jessica Lall in 1999, and he had moved the high court seeking a month’s parole to prepare for and appear in his second-semester PG exams.

In his plea, he had said he has to “prepare master thesis, field report, study report, case study report and select a guide as required for completion of the post graduation course”.

Claiming that on November 27, 2013 the Superintendent of Tihar jail had forwarded his application for grant of parole to the government, the convict said till date no order has been passed by the government and he is aggrieved by it.

Reversing the trial court’s acquittal order, the Delhi High Court had awarded life sentence to him in December 2006 in the murder case and the Supreme Court had upheld the high court order against him in April 2010.

Lall was shot dead by Sharma after she had refused to serve him liquor at the Tamarind Court restaurant owned by socialite Bina Ramani at Qutub Colonnade in south Delhi’s Mehrauli. — PTI

MUMBAI: RBI governor Raghuram Rajan surprised the markets today by leaving all key policy rates unchanged, notwithstanding persistent high inflationary pressure.

The short-term lending rate was kept unchanged at 7.75 per cent, while the cash reserve ratio (CRR) remained at 4 per cent, the Reserve Bank of India said in its mid-quarter monetary policy review.

The decision to keep rates unchanged will be a big breather for the industry and retail borrowers in particular as the markets had expected another 25 bps hike in the short-term lending rate.

The Reserve Bank said it will take "calibrated action" in the future, based on inflationary trends and action by the US Federal Reserve.

The status quo decision came as a surprise as only last week the RBI had pulled up banks for not helping it in monetary policy transmission.

Since taking over as the RBI chief in September, Rajan had increased the key rate by 0.50 per cent in two instalments.

Shifting his stance to promote growth from inflation management, Rajan said continuing weakness in growth was the main driver of his policy action.

The stock markets reacted positively and the S&P BSE Sensex shot up 140 points to 20,852 immediately after the policy was announced.

State Bank of India chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya said the bank would not contemplate cutting deposit rates as "it really hurts the depositors and we would not like to do that. Our rates are still higher than what it was on July 15, I see no immediate response toward rate cut.

"In view of the fact that liquidity is ample in the system, we will definitely be looking at the rates and we will try to see if something needs to be done...may be for the bulk (depositors) we might look at doing something."

Commenting on the policy, Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC) chairman C Rangarajan said: "It is a difficult balancing act...I certainly think that the priority to RBI is price stability and therefore they should keep continuous watch on what is happening to inflation."

While retail inflation soared to a nine-month high of 11.24 per cent in November, the index based on wholesale prices zoomed to a 14-month high of 7.52 per cent last month.

Analysts are of the opinion that inflation has peaked and will ease from December as food prices cool on better supplies with winter crops coming in.

Rajan, however, sounded cautious when he said, "The policy decision is a close one. Current inflation is too high. However, given the wide bands of uncertainty surrounding the short-term path of inflation from its high current levels, and given the weak state of the economy...there is merit in waiting for more data to reduce uncertainty." — PTI

Sonia to cadre: Don’t lose heart, be ready for 2014

NEW DELHI: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday conceded that lack of discipline and unity were among the reasons for the party’s debacle in Assembly poll and asked the cadre not to despair and be ready for the “battle ahead” in 2014 general elections.

While acknowledging that there are many factors for the defeat, Gandhi said, “It is obvious that we have not been able to convince the people of our policies, programmes and achievements. We have not, it seems, been able to fulfil their aspirations.”

Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) meeting in Delhi, Gandhi also blamed lack of a “sense of discipline and unity” among the reasons for the party’s defeat in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Rajasthan.

“We should not lose heart. There is another battle ahead of us, in May 2014 for which we must ready ourselves. The Congress party has won and lost many elections. In victory or defeat, we must remember that it is our solemn duty to serve people to the best of our ability,” she said.

In his address, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said while the recent Assembly election results have been “deeply disappointing”, “we should not despair for the general elections in 2014.”

“The general election next year will be fought on issues of national importance. While some of these very issues, may have been involved in the Assembly elections, we will be judged in May by how we respond on national issues,” Dr Singh said.

“Our opponents advocate policies of divisiveness and sectarian interests. They mock our secular ethos. Their ideology is illiberal and will prevent the continuing modernisation and emancipation of our country and our people.

“We must not be afraid to speak for our ideals. We must not be afraid to speak against those, who offer only a narrow and destructive alternative,” Gandhi said.

“Adversity always tests us. And it is at such times that it is most important for us to reaffirm our unswerving allegiance to the principles of democracy, secularism, liberalism and inclusiveness. These are the abiding values of our party...the Congress way remains the only way in a country like ours defined by diversities,” Gandhi said.

Claiming that Congress remains a unique political party in many ways, Gandhi said, “Let us go from here mindful of the challenges ahead but also mindful of the fact that no odds are insurmountable for a party such as ours, for a party with our legacy, with our history and with our track record of achievement.”

The Congress president said the party and the government can take pride in the fact that despite “very frequent disruptions,” they have been able to get landmark legislations, including Lokpal, food security and land Bill passed in Parliament.

“Yesterday (Tuesday), the Rajya Sabha passed the historic Lokpal Bill and I fervently hope that it will be approved by the Lok Sabha today. This law is watershed in our fight against corruption, which we began with the historic RTI in 2005,” Gandhi said.

“I am unhappy we have not been able to get the Women’s Reservation Bill passed in the Lok Sabha for want of consensus. But I know this will happen sooner than later. We can have the satisfaction of knowing that we got it approved in the Rajya Sabha,” she said. — PTI