New Delhi:
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has appealed to social activist and Gandhian Anna Hazare to end his fast. In a statement, Mrs Gandhi said, "There are no two views on combating corruption. I believe that laws must be effective."
The massive and spontaneous outpouring of support for Mr Hazare's crusade against corruption has forced the government to sit up, take notice and say yes to a joint committee to draft the Lokpal Bill. But it is holding out on agreeing to Anna Hazare heading that panel.
(Read: Who is Anna Hazare?)On the third day of Anna's fast, the government reached out first with an offer to set up an informal group, including activists and ministers, to draft the Lokpal Bill, and then, when the activists rejected that offer, agreed to set up the joint committee.
But after two rounds of talks with social activists Arvind Kejriwal and Swami Agnivesh, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal admitted there was still a stalemate. He said differences remained over formal notification of a joint committee and on who would chair the committee. The minister said they would meet again on Friday.
In a significant move, sources said the Government had agreed to the setting up of a joint committee with an equal number of members from both sides - government and the civil society. The government also agreed that the first meeting of the joint committee will happen as soon as it is formed and that they will not wait till May 13, which was what the government wanted to do earlier. And it agreed that the bill would be tabled in the monsoon session of Parliament this year, sources said.
What it would not agree to, however, was the activists' demand that there be a formal notification on the setting up of the joint committee. Sources said the government was loath to give in to this demand as it would set a precedent. Government sources said it had also rejected the activists' demand that Anna Hazare head the joint committee, pointing out that he could not chair a committee that included ministers.
But at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, where Mr Hazare is sitting on fast and where the crowds are now swelling by the hour, the 72-year-old crusader said he would not head the committee. "I shouldn't be heading the committee as then people will say that was my aim. It never was...I will be a member."
Addressing a rally, Mr Hazare said, "power and money have intoxicating effects. People of the nation have woken up and will break this effect."
"2G scam, CWG scam, Adarsh scam have been revealed but those behind these scams haven't been jailed. This is why we need the Lokpal Bill," Anna Hazare said, to loud cheers from the crowd. "Keep Chattrapati Shivaji as your ideal, only Gandhi will not do. Harsh words will have to be said," the veteran Gandhian added.(
Watch: Govt drunk on corruption: Anna)
With lakhs of Indians throwing their weight behind him, the soldier of many such battles said in the morning, as he began his third day of fast, "I think nothing will happen to me for another 7 days, don't worry God is with me and I will be fine.
He said his "fast-unto-death" will continue till the government agrees to introduce a tough new law to fight corruption, and includes civil society representatives to help draft the Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's Ombudsman Bill). Sources in the government have said the Prime Minister is likely to release a statement soon on the impasse with Mr Hazare and other social activists.
(Read: What is Jan Lokpal Bill? |
Why Anna Hazare opposes it)The PM met Kapil Sibal this morning to discuss the issue. "We had a constructive dialogue on Hazare's demands," Sibal said after the meeting.
Both Mr Hazare and the government have said they're open to dialogue. Mr Hazare told NDTV on Wednesday night, "We are prepared, and when have we said no to dialogue? The ones who have the power to make decisions, either Sonia Gandhi or the PM, should be part of the dialogue...We have a request, that if the Lokpal Bill is to be made, then have 50% of our people, 50% of yours, have a joint committee, and begin the drafting process."
(Watch: Jaan, dil both belong to India says Hazare)Various ministers from the government have said they respect Mr Hazare's mission, and that the government is committed to combating corruption among politicians and bureaucrats. However, they say that legislation is the business of Parliament alone, and allowing civil society to help draft this law would set a dangerous precedent.
Mr Hazare's call to action - he is asking Indians to join demonstrations in their cities or fast for as long as they can - has seen an emotional and enormous response. Since the fall of last year, a series of corruption scandals have left the government reeling and the country incensed.
The 72-year-old Gandhian who is fronting the Indian Against Corruption movement said today that he apologizes that politician Uma Bharti was heckled last evening when she tried to join him on stage at his base at Jantar Mantar in the Capital. He said while everyone is welcome to join the crowds, he will not let politicians try to manipulate the people's goodwill by posing as leaders of what he describes as India's second freedom struggle.
Mr Hazare and the social activists who support him have also questioned the government's wisdom in its choice of the Group of Ministers set up to fight corruption. After public criticism from Mr Hazare and others, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar quit the panel yesterday. "So what," said Mr Hazare, "if one Pawar goes...another will come."
Today, he echoed that sentiment, stressing, "Politicians have ruined the nation."
Enter your comment on India Against Corruptionhereor upload your video comment here.