As a gesture of displeasure over the drafted Bill, the civil society activist, Anna Hazare burnt copies of the 'anti-poor, anti-Dalit' law and asserted that he would go ahead with his fast. Hazare and his team were invited by the Government to draft the Bill. As many of the vital suggestions were not taken on board, Hazare threatened to go on an indefinite fast.

However the tabled Bill said that the Prime Minister after demiting his office can come under the ambit of inquiry.

Before introduction of the Bill, the House Speaker Meira Kumar permitted the Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj to express her views as a special case under Rule 72.

Swaraj said when the Prime Minister does not enjoy immunity from prosecution under the Criminal Procedure Code, Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act, why was he being kept out of the ambit of the Lokpal.

She pointed out that under Constitution everyone was equal and there was no immunity for even the Prime Minister in the criminal law. The Lokpal Bill seeking to keep Prime Minister outside its ambit was discriminatory she said.

'It is for the first time that under Clause 2 of the Lokpal Bill, all Union ministers are included except the Prime Minister. I don't understand why. How can anybody occupying any position be a holy cow. Why is the Prime Minister being kept out of its purview?' Swaraj posed.

Swaraj said that during the NDA regime Lokpal Bill was drafted which brought the Prime Minister within its ambit. The then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said that the Lokpal Bill would be meaningless if it did not cover the Prime Minister and its office.

The NDA Government introduced the Bill in 2001 in Parliament which was subsequently referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home then headed by Pranab Mukherjee. The Standing Committee approved the Bill and sent it back on February 16, 2002. But though the NDA Government remained in power till May 2004, the Bill was not re-introduced after its approval by the Standing Committee.

Swaraj said :'As chairperson of the then Standing Committee on Home, the present finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee had accepted that the Prime Minister should be within the purview of the Lokpal. The Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) has himself said he wants to be within its ambit. Why is the Cabinet not paying heed to his views?' she asked.

Mukherjee replied that if the BJP and the NDA was interested in bringing the Prime Minister within the ambit of the Lokpal Bill then why it did not re-introduced the Bill in the Parliament during its tenure.

Swaraj later clarified that the intentions of the BJP and NDA partners were clear to bring Prime Minister within the ambit of the Lokpal Bill. It was due to some difficulties the NDA Government could not re-introduce the Bill.

The Union HRD Minister, Kapil Sibal said that the Bill introduced by the UPA Government would be referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee for deliberations and interested persons can depose before the committee to give their suggestions.

He said that Bill was now the property of the Parliament and condemned Hazare’s action as an upfront to Parliament.