New Delhi:
Activists led by Anna Hazare have written to the Prime Minister, urging him to allow his office to be covered by the new Lokpal Bill being drafted to check corruption.
"You are one of the most honest Prime Ministers that the country has had," the letter states, pointing out that "as of today, the Prime Minister is covered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Under that law, any allegation against the PM can be investigated." What activists object to is that currently, "the investigations are done by the CBI, which is directly under the control of the Prime Minister. Rather than being investigated by an agency under his control, let the PM be investigated by an independent agency like the Lokpal."
Mr Hazare and four activists nominated by him are working on the Lokpal Bill as part of what's referred to as the Joint Drafting Committee. The activists are paired with five ministers headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.
They have clashed repeatedly over the key features of the new bill, never more so than earlier this month when the government ordered the dismantling of a camp by yoga teacher Baba Ramdev that combined his usual yoga classes with a sit-in against corruption and black money.
Congress leader Digvijaya Singh yesterday controversially backed the need for the Lokpal Bill to cover the Prime Minister's office. Today, the Congress said that is his personal opinion. Mr Singh added some caveats to his statement today- he said that the Prime Minister in the past has expressed a similar point of view; Mr Singh also clarified that the Lokpal Bill must ensure that "frivolous charges" are not filed against the Prime Minister.
In its letter to the PM today, Team Anna said, "You yourself had offered to be brought under the purview of the Lokpal Bill. Then why are your ministers opposing your inclusion?"
Activists point out that three of the five ministers on the Drafting Committee, including Mr Mukherjee and Law Minister Veerappa Moily, have in the past supported the need for the Lokpal Bill to cover the Prime Minister's office.
The government has also so far rejected Mr Hazare's insistence that meetings of the Drafting Committee be videotaped. In the past few weeks, the uneasy dynamic between the two sides has hurtled towards breaking point.
Team Hazare has accused the government of being filled with "liars and cheats." The government has struck back, accusing Mr Hazare's movement - titled India Against Corruption - of being backed by the BJP's parent body, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS). Yesterday, that charge was made again publically by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who is the co-chair of the Drafting Committee.
In a press release today, Team Anna took on Mr Mukherjee. "Mr Pranab Mukerjee has stated that Civil Society agitations and fasts are undermining established institutions of democracy such as Parliament. He has reportedly said that the Congress Party has produced a document for countering the Campaign by Civil Society which he accuses of being supported by the BJP/RSS. Such statements betray a distorted understanding of democracy and an arrogance of power. They show a mistaken understanding that the people have no role to play in governance and law making once they have elected their representatives and they have formed a government."
(Read: Letter to the PM from Team Anna)