“They (the govt) are giving the impression that they made it (the Whistleblowers Bill) better than last time.” Mani Shankar Aiyar Congress leader
New Delhi : Opposition parties in Rajya Sabha today made a strong pitch for referring the key whistleblowers bill to a select committee while opposing the proposed changes in it, even as Government downplayed the demand.
Members of the Congress, CPI(M) and Samajwadi Party wanted the government not to rush the discussion and passage of the Whistle Blowers Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2015, with Congress member Jairam Ramesh alleging that “a very major dilution” was being made in the legislation and insisting “please do not rush with a discussion” on it.
Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh, however, dismissed the charge saying it was “not appropriate” to say that the government was trying to curtail the scope of the bill and said the amendments only aimed at putting the safeguards, which were not there earlier.
Mani Shankar Aiyar (Congress) rejected the minister’s argument saying he is being “extremely disingenuous” in arguing that the Act passed in the previous Lok Sabha was brought with “slight” changes.
Singh responded saying that he did not utter the word “slight” and argued that the amendments were made only in those areas which have already been included under the ambit of Right To Information Act.
Expressing disagreement with Opposition’s insistence for suspending the debate on the bill and discuss it only after the report of a select panel, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah said the members should not be seen as being interested in prolonging the passage of an anti-graft measure.
