While the UPA ties itself up in knots over the Lokpal Bill, two out of every three Indians say the prime minister and the higher judiciary should be brought under the bill’s purview, an issue that has seen the UPA government differing with civil society representatives.
This was the predominant finding of an opinion poll conducted for Outlook by Marketing & Development Research Associates (MDRA) in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Calcutta and Mumbai on June 1. Surprisingly, the percentage of those who felt the PM should be brought into the ambit of the bill was lowest for one city that went to the polls recently (Chennai 25.6%) and highest for another (Calcutta 87.2%).
The trend was the same on the issue of keeping Supreme Court judges and members of Parliament out. Overall, 60% say judges and MPs too should come under the Lokpal’s eagle eye, but in Chennai—in many senses the epicentre of the 2G scam—that figure shoots up to as much as 95.2%.
Although reservations have been expressed about the Lokpal becoming a big brother with oversight over the executive, judiciary and Parliament, two out of three respondents say they are comfortable with the thought of a body with overarching powers.
Most respondents hold the government responsible for the standoff, and no city wants civil society representatives to quit the joint panel in case the Centre doesn’t accede to the demands. The fervour hasn’t died down either—over 80% say they will join a fresh protest if talks break down. A total of 630 adults (455 men, 175 women) were polled. The confidence level is 95% with +/-3.90% error or margin.
| Should the prime minister be brought under the purview of the Lokpal Bill? | |||
| Yes | No | ||
| Bangalore | 47.2 | 52.8 | |
| Chennai | 25.6 | 74.4 | |
| Delhi | 81.9 | 18.1 | |
| Calcutta | 87.2 | 12.8 | |
| Mumbai | 64.1 | 35.9 | |
| 61.3 | 38.7 | ||
| Will bringing the PM under Lokpal expose him to false and/or frivolous charges? | |||
| Bangalore | 37.6 | 62.4 | |
| Chennai | 33.6 | 66.4 | |
| Delhi | 32.3 | 67.7 | |
| Calcutta | 85.6 | 14.4 | |
| Mumbai | 60.2 | 39.8 | |
| 49.8 | 50.2 | ||
| Should Supreme Court judges and MPs be left out of the Lokpal Bill? | |||
| Yes | No | Can’t say | |
| Bangalore | 67.2 | 23.2 | 9.6 |
| Chennai | 1.06 | 95.2 | 3.2 |
| Delhi | 37.0 | 58.3 | 4.7 |
| Calcutta | 14.4 | 85.6 | 0 |
| Mumbai | 47.7 | 38.3 | 14.1 |
| 33.7 | 60.0 | 6.3 | |
| Should anti-corruption outfits (like CBI, CVC) be under a unified Lokpal? | |||
| Yes | 79.2 | ||
| No | 17.8 | ||
| Can’t say | 3.0 | ||
| Should Lokpal have powers over executive, judiciary, bureaucracy, Parliament? | |||
| Yes | 67.9 | ||
| No | 26.0 | ||
| Can’t say | 6.1 | ||
| Who do you hold responsible for the current standoff? | |||
| Government representatives | 73.8 | ||
| Can’t say | 14.8 | ||
| Civil society activists | 11.4 | ||
| Does government give more importance to Sonia Gandhi-led NAC over civil society? | |||
| Yes | 58.7 | ||
| No | 24.9 | ||
| Can’t say | 16.4 | ||
| Are civil society activists being unreasonable in their demands on PM, judges? | |||
| Yes | No | ||
| Bangalore | 13.6 | 86.4 | |
| Chennai | 0.8 | 99.2 | |
| Delhi | 19.7 | 80.3 | |
| Calcutta | 10.4 | 89.6 | |
| Mumbai | 83.6 | 16.4 | |
| 25.9 | 74.1 | ||
| Should civil society activists quit the panel if the government doesn’t relent? | |||
| Yes | 33.2 | ||
| No | 10.3 | ||
| Can’t say | 56.5 | ||
| Why do you think the government is reluctant to bow to civil society demands? | |||
| Because it wants to shield the corrupt | 33.5 | ||
| Because it fears losing its powers | 45.9 | ||
| Because it could open floodgates to similar demands | 13.2 | ||
| Because this was all a charade from the beginning | 3.5 | ||
| Can’t say | 4.0 | ||
| If a fresh protest against a watered-down Lokpal bill is launched, will you join it? | |||
| Yes | 81.0 | ||
| No | 11.9 | ||
| Can’t say | 7.1 | ||
| All figures in percent | |||
