Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav were detained during protests against AAP's Lokpal Bill
Nine months after taking power in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today introduced the anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill in the assembly, making good on its biggest election promise but vehemently denying the allegation of former members that it had vastly deviated from the original version.
"I want to reassure Delhi that it is the same bill that will tackle corruption in Delhi," said Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, offering a point-by-point rebuttal of allegations made by expelled founder members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav.
Mr Sisodia said the bill, which aims at setting up an anti-corruption ombudsman, punishes offenders with life imprisonment and a fine five times what they may have taken as bribe.
Mr Bhushan and Mr Yadav, two of the leaders who were part of the Kejriwal-led campaign in 2011 for a Lokpal in the country, were detained as they protested against what they called a "jokepal" bill.
"It is a complete betrayal of what Arvind and so many others campaigned for at Jantar Mantar and Ramlila Maidan," Mr Yadav told NDTV, adding that the new version of the Bill appeared to be set up for failure.
Mr Bhushan and Mr Yadav were expelled in April from AAP, the party they founded along with Mr Kejriwal in 2012 after taking their Lokpal campaign to the national stage.
"This bill is even worse than the central Lokpal bill which had been dubbed Jokepal by Arvind Kejriwal himself," said Mr Bhushan.
The 2011 bill said a Lokpal could be removed only after being found guilty of wrongdoing by courts and after presidential sanction. In the new version, a two-third majority in the assembly is enough to remove the Lokpal. Mr Yadav and Mr Bhushan say this makes the Lokpal weak and a political puppet.
The expelled leaders also said the new bill leaves the Lokpal dependent on government officers for investigation.
Mr Kejriwal's party, which has 67 members in the 70-member Delhi assembly, will have no trouble in passing the bill. But before it can become law, the measure has to be cleared by the Lieutenant Governor and the Centre