India ombudsman

A 74-old, charismatic Gandhian channeled public anger over wide-spread corruption and billion-dollar scams involving politicians and government officials into a movement which swiftly rose to the level of a challenge not just to the political classes and bureaucrats, but to the parliamentary system itself, as the opponents of Anna Hazare's campaign have been calling it.

But the campaign did manage to bring a 40-year-old proposal for an ombudsman to investigate and prosecute public officials as a bill to the parliament's agenda - on Tuesday it went through the Lok Sabha, or the lower house, turning into a fiasco for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's ruling Congress Party since the bill failed to gain the two-thirds majority needed for a constitutional amendment.

An acid test

The bill will be facing a far more difficult test today in the Rajya Sabha, or the upper house, of parliament where Singh's United Progressive Alliance enjoys even less support. Singh has already suffered a major defeat earlier this month over another major reform, when he had to abandon the plan of allowing foreign supermarkets to operate in India. Not just the Lokpal bill but also Singh, and possibly the sustainability of his coalition will be facing the test in the upper house late Thursday.

Singh has been holding consultations with the Core Group of his Congress Party, including party president Sonia Gandhi, while his finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has been trying to ensure the support of the regional parties, allies and supporting parties for the passing of the bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Unappetizing options

A main point of objection for the opposition as well as some Congress allies has been the provision for Lokayukta, or ombudsmen, in the individual states as well. Trinamool Congress, a state political party in the eastern state of West Bengal and currently the second largest member of the ruling UPA coalition, with 19 seats in the lower house and 6 in the upper house, has already given a notice for amendment asking for the reference to the Lokayuktas to be dropped. Mukherjee has been holding meetings with Trinamool leaders, apparently with not much success in making them turn around.

Thursday is the last day of an extended session of parliament for passing the Lokpal bill. Any further consideration of the new legislation will have to wait till next year. Singh still has the option of withdrawing the bill in advance to avoid any likely defeat. A second option would be a joint session of parliament in case the Rajya Sabha rejects the bill. A third and more standard procedure would be to refer it to the Joint Select Committee of the parliament, which the government does not seem to favour, the Parliamentary Standing Committee having gone into the issue at some depth, producing an exhaustive report.

Author: Arun Chowdhury (AFP, PTI)
Editor: Sarah Berning