New Delhi:
Anna Hazare's team and the government have spent the morning swapping notes on what both sides require of each other for the 74-year-old activist's hunger strike to end. Anna has not eaten for 11 days; he has lost seven kilos, his doctors said this morning. His close associates say he is looking weak today, and are worried about his frail health.
That could be why they're beginning to tone down the demands they've placed before the government about Anna's anti-corruption Jan Lokpal Bill. No longer are they insisting that three contentious features of this bill be accepted by Parliament; what they want is for these must-haves to be debated. Team Anna says the shift in their stand is because privately, political parties like the BJP and the Left have promised to support these aspects.
The government tried to begin the debate on the Jan Lokpal Bill this afternoon, but said it would not be followed by a vote. The BJP has objected strongly to this, as well as to what it describes as insufficient notice for the debate.
Earlier today, Anna sent a note to the Prime Minister, detailing his stand on his three must-haves for the Lokpal, an independent agency that will be empowered to investigate charges of corruption against public servants. "Is it possible to bring all these three proposals to Parliament? I am not only hopeful but confident that all Parliamentarians will agree to these three proposals to provide relief to the common man who is suffering from corruption," Mr Hazare said.
Anna also thanked the PM for honouring his anti-corruption movement in Parliament yesterday.
Dr Manmohan Singh met with senior ministers after receiving Anna's letter. The government has conveyed to Anna that he must agree to end his fast once the debate on his Jan Lokpal Bill begins; and that the government will raise Anna's three must-have features in Parliament, but cannot guarantee that they will be approved. As one minister put it, "How can we commit to these points without a debate? That would make Parliament meaningless."
The determination of the government to follow parliamentary procedures was reinforced by the speech Rahul Gandhi made this morning on corruption and the Lokpal Bill. "I thank Annaji for articulating the people's sentiment," said the Congress General Secretary, accepting that corruption is an issue that people all over the country have raised with him. However, Mr Gandhi was also aggressive about the need to respect parliamentary procedures. "I doubt that just a Lokpal law will tackle corruption," he said, suggesting that "let us fortify the Lokpal Bill by making it a constitutional body like the Election Commission."
Mr Gandhi also stressed, "We must not weaken the democratic process which is lengthy and elaborate, but is inclusive and fair...a process that is divorced from democracy sets a dangerous precedent."
As Parliament gets ready to debate Anna's bill, once again, it's union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh who is serving as the go-between for the government and Anna. His two terms as Chief Minister of Maharashtra, which is Anna's home state, have allowed Mr Deshmukh an easy rapport with the Gandhian.
Named for the anti-corruption, independent agency it grants, the Lokpal Bill exists in different versions. Anna's associates refer to their draft as the Jan Lokpal Bill or People's Lokpal Bill; the government's version, described as weak and self-serving by the Opposition and activists; a third version has come from Aruna Roy's group of activists; a fourth has been delivered by Jaiprakash Narayan and his NGO Jansatta. The Lokpal sanctions a committee of nine members to serve as an ombudsman.
The three features that Anna wants included in the final version of the Lokpal Bill include the replication of the Lokpal model in all states; a citizen's charter for all government departments that clearly lists penalties for under-performance; and the inclusion of junior bureaucrats for review by the Lokpal. Anna has said repeatedly that without these three factors, any Lokpal will not be able to help people fight corruption. Government servants "from the villages to every ministry" must be covered he says by the Lokpal.
In Parliament yesterday, Dr Singh praised Anna. " I respect him...I applaud him...I salute him," Dr Singh said, urging him to end his hunger strike. The PM also offered that Parliament could start a debate on the Jan Lokpal Bill. Anna responded last evening to that offer by asking that the debate begin immediately.
The government has made it clear that while Anna's bill will dominate the debate, the other versions of the Lokpal Bill will also be discussed. The government has also refused to withdraw its own draft, despite requests from the Opposition and activists.