Patna/Lucknow, Dec. 13: Bihar deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi today renewed the BJP’s demand to include the Prime Minister’s post under the ambit of the Lokpal bill.

He also sought conversion of the Central Bureau of Investigation into an auto-nomous body that would not be accountable to the Centre.

Speaking on the sidelines of his weekly janata darbar, Modi said: “The BJP wants the Prime Minister’s post to be under the ambit of the Lokpal bill. If the chief minister can come under its ambit, then why should not the Prime Minister be included?”

He added: “When the Lokpal bill was proposed during the NDA regime, the PM’s post was also under its ambit and I do not see anything wrong in it. Even today, there is no immunity for the PM in the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure and Prevention of Corruption Act. Only the President has been given the immunity.”

However, Modi said, the PM’s post should not be challenged on defence issues and public orders.

Maya demand

Accusing the Congress of being soft on corruption, UP chief minister Mayawati today demanded that the Prime Minister, the CBI, Group C and D employees be brought under the ambit of Lokpal.

Citing the Commonwealth, 2G and Adarsh Society scams, she said in Lucknow that the Congress’s “lackadaisical policy indicates that it does not want to create a strong mechanism against corruption as maximum leaders and ministers of that party would be affected”.