NEW DELHI, March 23 � The contentious provision relating to Lokayuktas in the Lokpal Bill may undergo change as key UPA constituents joined the Opposition in demanding its deletion but differences still persist on some other provisions.
At a meeting of leaders of over 20 parties convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh it was agreed that the legislation could be taken up during the second half of the Budget Session after evolving a consensus during the three-week inter-session break beginning April.
Leader of the Opposition and BJP leader Arun Jaitley said the consensus among the parties including some UPA constituents was completely against the government that the federal structure cannot be disturbed and the Lokayukta provision be deleted.
Sharing this view, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury said the setting up of Lokayuktas in States should be delinked from the Lokpal.
Interestingly, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, leader of the Trinamool Congress, which is strongly opposed to the Lokayukta clause, said the parties were united in demanding �deletion� of the provision.
Representatives of DMK, NCP and National Conference, who are part of the government, also opposed the Lokayukta provision.
Mid-term LS polls possible: Mulayam
Lucknow, March 23 � Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose party SP rescued the UPA government in Parliament during crucial votes this week, today spoke of the possibility of early Lok Sabha polls, reports PTI.
�There is no guarantee when the Lok Sabha elections may take place� he said at a party function here asking his son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to implement the party manifesto and bring �visible changes� within six months.
Samajwadi Party, which Mulayam Singh heads, won a spectacular majority in the Assembly elections earlier this month.
The party, which provides outside support to the UPA coalition at the Centre, helped the government by voting with it during voting on Opposition amendments to the President�s Address in the Lok Sabha and in Rajya Sabha.
Reacting to his statement, BJP leader Arun Jaitley said in Delhi that if Mulayam was not so sure of the government�s stability then he should stop bailing out the government so often.
In his speech, Mulayam Singh said changes should be visible in six months and the manifesto should be implemented within a year.
He was addressing his party leaders and workers at a function to mark the 102nd anniversary of Dr Ram Manohar Lohia here.
�Lohia considered betrayal of promises as corruption,� he said advising early implementation of the manifesto.
The SP supremo said that he did not become the Chief Minister as he wanted to monitor the working of the government while remaining among party workers.
