On Wednesday December 21 AICC President Sonia Gandhi said that she was prepared to fight for Lokpal bill and women's reservation bills in the Lok Sabha and removed as "gossips" speculation that there were dissimilarities in between the government and the ruling party.
At the meeting Sonia Gandhi told her party MPs that she was prepared to "fight for Lokpal and women's reservation" bills and encouraged them to be prepared for the action in the house.
The women's reservation bill, which proposes that 33 percent of seats in legislatures be reserved for women, has been hanging fire after the Rajya Sabha passed it in March 2010. It is facing severe opposition from many parties.
Sonai Gandhi, who is also the chairperson of the ruling combine United Progressive Alliance (UPA), said some people were spreading "rumours" that there were differences between the government and the Congress.
Describing as a canard the speculations about differences between the government and the party, Gandhi said there could be different perceptions on some important issues but in the final count both were on the same platform.
"She said there may be differences of opinion but things are done together in a consensus," according to the leader who didn't want to be named. The UPA chairperson described the Lokpal bill as a "pathbreaking" legislation and urged the opposition parties and anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare to accept it.
"They must accept it. I am always ready for a fight," Gandhi, emerging out of the meeting, told reporters in a short conversation. Gandhi critisised the opposition for frequent parliament disruptions and said: "The opposition cannot reconcile to the fact that they lost (previous elections)."
She was asked about Hazare and his team of supporters expressing dissatisfaction over the cabinet approved Lokpal bill -- that brings the prime minister within its ambit but leaves out two other key demands of the activists for inclusion of the CBI and the lower bureaucracy.Hazare dubbed the government as "dishonest" and has vowed another hunger strike from Dec 27.
As Sonia Gandhi said inorder to handle the issue of corruption, there are three major conclusions has to be passed which pertains to the protection of whistle blowers, enhancing judicial accountability, strengthening anti-money laundering operations and controlling bribery of Indian public officials by foreign companies.
