New Delhi: Delhi Congress members on Thursday staged a protest against the Janlokpal Bill of the AAP government outside the assembly and released a white paper to expose lies concerning the institution of Janlokpal proposed by it.

The protesters led by Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken took out a march towards the assembly. They were detained by police but released after some time. The protesters shouted slogans against the AAP government and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. They also torched an effigy of the Chief Minister as a mark of protest against weak and toothless Janlokpal proposed by the Bill presented in the Delhi Assembly on November 30.

Addressing the protesters, Maken said the Janlokpal Bill, 2015 was a totally watered down version of the draft bill tabled in the House by Kejriwal last year. The white paper highlighted glaring shortcomings in the legislation proposed by Kejriwal Government.

A Janlokpal which was supposed to be an independent institution, a tool for the common man to fight corruption has been reduced to merely a political puppet by the ruling party, stated the white paper. The shortcomings exist in core areas of the 2015 Bill and there is a glaring contrast when compared with the 2014 Bill though both were presented by the same government and leadership, it said.

Comparing the 2015 Bill with the one drawn up by the earlier AAP government in 2014, the Congress white paper noted that the very provision (Section 3 of the 2014 Bill) for an 'independent institution of Janlokpal' has been completely removed. Moreover, the Janlokpal has been stripped off its key power of an independent investigation Wing (Section 12(1) of the 2014 Bill).

The white paper addressed to Kejriwal listed dilutions in important provisions and asked for a strong Lokpal instead of a toothless body.

PTI