Indian govt tables Lokpal bill in upper house

GlobalPost

After the surprise passage in the lower house of parliament of a bill to create a national ombudsman to fight corruption late Tuesday, the Indian government on Wednesday tabled the bill in the upper house, reports NDTV.

The vote on the bill will not take place until Thursday, as there have been a number of amendments proposed and a single day is not enough time for the resulting debate, the news channel said.

By introducing and passing the so-called Lokpal Bill, the Congress apparently hopes to steal the momentum from social activist Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement.  Already, Sonia Gandhi has blamed the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party for blocking a proposed amendment to make the Lokpal a constitutional authority.

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