Kiran Bedi dubs government's passing of Lokpal Bill sans Lokayukta a breach of trust

New Delhi - Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer and Team Anna member Kiran Bedi has said that if government passes the Lokpal Bill sans a Lokayukta, it will be a breach of the public's trust.

"The Prime Minister's letter is saying that he would bring the Lokpal bill for the country, it is a Prime Minister's letter, signed by him, what will people think of it -- that he went back on his promise? So, on the one side, we have a letter, and on the other side, we have the parliament's resolution. There would be a historical change, which we call a breach of trust," Bedi told media here.

Kiran Bedi pointed out that the Parliament had assured Anna Hazare  that it  would bring a strong Lokpal bill. "The Prime Minister  wrote the same to Annaji. So, this is what we call trust and if they go back on promise, then we call it breach of trust ........ the time will tell what a common man can do over it," she added.

Media reports suggest that the government is coming around to the view that the State Lokayukta should be kept out of the Lokpal Bill and a model law will be passed by Parliament to enable states to create their own Lokayukta.

Team Anna member Manish Sisodia has criticised Union Law and Justice Minister Salman Khurshid for backing corrupt ministers of the state and the central government.

"See, there are parties which are doing corruption in central government and there are some parties which are doing corruption in state government and they have come into power because they want to indulge in orruption, so in such cases, one cannot hope that they would make a strong law against the corrupt people and Salman Khurshid is talking in defence of both sides," he said.

"He (Khurshid) is talking in favour of the people who are doing corruption in federal government and also talking in favour who are doing corruption in state government, he is worried about everybody, he is worried about every single man who is doing corruption but he doesn't care about the people who are affected by  corruption," Sisodia added.

He also said that looking at the government's apathy, it is hard to hope for a strong Lokpal bill.

"Bringing of a weak Lokpal bill is like betraying the country, people of the nation are not happy with corruption and inflation and the government is not listening to them. Our campaigning will remain the same, we will do campaigning in states also and would do campaigning in centre. Before the election of 2014, we will create an atmosphere so that parties, which are ruling central and state governments, will get sacred of doing corruption in their offices and therefore make strong law to send corrupt minister and leaders into jails," he added.