As expected, the day-long fast of Anna Hazare at Jantar Mantar on December 11 has yet again garnered strong support from all quarters of the society. This time, political parties including BJP and Left also voice with the same tone against the government version of Lokpal.
Thousands came in support of the 74-year-old social activist Anna Hazare and gathered at the Jantar Mantar. Many believe that the proposed Lokpal bill recommended by the parliamentary standing committee is toothless, as it doesn’t address several key points to root out corruption.
Even after several rounds of talks, the main bone of contention between the government and the civil society version of Lokpal bill remains the inclusion of the Prime Minister, the CBI and the lower bureaucracy, which the Team Anna is pressing for.
Social activists led by Hazare, who are fighting for a strong anti-graft bill, have been demanding that the lower bureaucracy should be brought within the purview of the Lokpal besides provisions for Citizen's Charter and setting up of Lokayuktas in every state under a central law.
Terming the recommendations made by the Standing Committee on the proposed Lokpal Bill as extremely regressive, Team Anna member Shanti Bhushan, while addressing the gathering at Jantar Mantar, said that the Committee has betrayed the nation.
Another prominent social activist Medha Patkar said, ‘our aim is to bring in judiciary, Prime Minister and all level of bureaucrats within the ambit of Lokpal; hence we would not give up our protest.’
‘People of the country should understand the weakness of the standing committee report and should actively fight for an effective ombudsman bill to root out corruption from the country,’ she further added.
Among leaders of various political parties who were present at the protest at Hazare's fast venue, BJP leader Arun Jaitley accused the Congress-led UPA government for misleading the nation and demanded: “all those involve in the administration and the government should come under the ambit of the Ombudsman.”
He also criticised the government on the proposed exclusion of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and termed it as a testament that the government was misusing it.
Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary A. B. Bardhan, who shared the dais with Hazare, also reiterated the same by stating that both the prime minster and the CBI should come under the ambit of Lokpal.
Meanwhile, Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav has said that opposition parties are ready to hold discussions on the Lokpal Bill in the Parliament.
Hazare has also warned the government that he would sit on an indefinite fast from December 27 at the Ramlila Maidan here in the national capital if a strong Lokpal Bill is not passed in the ongoing winter session of the Parliament.
It is to note that Hazare had gave up his indefinite hunger strike against graft on August 28 when the government agreed to discuss the issues raised by him and the civil society in the process to bring an effective Lokpal Bill. However, it seems the present approach of government is no way going to serve the ultimate purpose.
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