Govt. is not serious enough for Lokpal Bill. Don't try to make Lokpal as Jokepal : Anna Hazare.

Draft Lokpal Bill a joke, Anna tells Manmohan

U Anand Kumar || Express News Service || Last Updated : 19 Jul 2011 08:12:43 AM IST

NEW DELHI: Terming the government’s draft Lokpal Bill as a joke played on the nation, social activist Anna Hazare on Monday informed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about his decision to go on an indefinite fast from August 16 unless the government introduces an effective Lokpal Bill in Parliament by Independence Day.

In a three-page letter to the Prime Minister, Hazare said the government has to take steps against corruption. Pointing out the deficiencies in the government’s Lokpal Bill, he said the government should not present a Bill in Parliament without addressing those issues. Hazare demanded that the Jan Lokpal Bill be brought in Parliament for discussion. He said, “We want our version to be introduced in Parliament. If you send a weak bill, what will you discuss?” 

Listing the scams which came to light recently such as the Adarsh scam, Commonwealth Games scam, Taj corridor scam and cash-for-vote scam, Hazare said none of these will come under the ambit of the Lokpal.

He said the scope of the draft is so confined that it does not address corruption faced by the common man. Hazare dared the government to crush his agitation as it did in the case of Baba Ramdev and said his team is ready to make bigger sacrifices.

“It is our constitutional right to protest, so when the government says it will crush our andolan like Ramdev’s, it is not right. We are ready to get arrested and be beaten up but we have had enough of corruption,” Hazare said.
Courtesy : Express News Service.This is published in the National interest and under citizen's responsibility for awareness generation programme. 

Fast Caveat : Anna to move SC to check the Govt. hostility in Anti corruption Movements.

Hazare to move Supreme Court against any Ramlila ground-like crackdown from August 16th Fast.
PTI / Sunday, July 17, 2011 18:16 IST || DNA.


Citing the police crackdown on Ramdev and his supporters at Ramlila Ground in Delhi, activist Anna Hazare today said he will approach the Supreme Court seeking its intervention to ensure that the government does "not suppress" his fast on Lokpal issue beginning August 16.

"Government said we will suppress the agitation of Anna Hazare as had been done in the case of Ramdev. Is this democracy or autocracy? You cannot suppress.... That is why we will go to the Supreme Court tomorrow," Hazare said.Holding that the Constitution has given right to every citizen to protest democratically, the anti-corruption activist said he will launch his indefinite fast here from August 16 as announced."The Constitution has given right to every citizen to lodge a protest. We will launch the agitation from August 16," he said.The exercise to work out an agreed draft of the Lokpal Bill between the government and Hazare-led civil society had ended in failure last month after which Hazare had announced that he will go ahead with his August fast.

Hazare has been demanding that the prime minister be brought under the ambit of Lokpal which has been opposed by the government.After nine meetings spread over two months, the joint drafting committee of the two sides concluded its deliberations on a note of disagreement with the government asserting that it could not allow creation of a parallel structure which would be "answerable to nobody".An all-party meet on Lokpal earlier this month had agreed that a "strong and effective" bill should be brought in the Monsoon session of Parliament with consensus that supremacy of Parliament and established procedures be maintained.Police had carried out a crackdown on Ramdev and his supporters, who were agitating against corruption and blackmoney, at Ramlila ground on June 4 night, lobbing tear gas shells. Ramdev was bundled out of Delhi.
Courtesy : PTI & DNA.This is published in the National interest and under citizen's responsibility for awareness generation programme. 

Let come Bullets, I will not step down from Fast for 'Strong Lokpal': Anna

Hazare flays UPA, says ‘willing to face bullets’ for agitation

PTI || MUMBAI || JULY 9, 2011

Lashing out at the government for criticising civil society activists, Gandhian Anna Hazare on Saturday vowed to continue with the proposed August 16 agitation despite “threats” to “crush” it, saying he was willing “to face bullets and not just lathis.”

Pointing that laws like Right to Information were enacted because of the pressure of civil society, Hazare said, “If this (pressure on Government over Lokpal) amounts to blackmail, I am willing to resort to blackmail through out my life.”

Dismissing criticism by Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on the role of civil society activists on the Lokpal Bill issue, he reminded the Congress-led government at the Centre that it was late Rajiv Gandhi who sought their opinion while enacting the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments for ushering in Panchayati Raj system in the country.

“Rajiv Gandhi wrote letters to over five lakh village heads all over the country, saying his government plans to bring in constitutional amendments regarding Panchayati Raj.

He sought views of the civil society in bringing the landmark legislation,” he told reporters after inaugurating the office of `India Against Corruption’ in South Mumbai here.

Mr. Hazare said his agitation from August 16 in support of a strong Lokpal will herald the “second independence movement”. “I appeal to people to switch off their lights from 8 PM to 9 PM on that day and take to the streets shouting slogans demanding an end to corruption.” Read details in=> The Hindu

Courtesy : The Hindu. This is published in the National interest and under citizen's responsibility. 

No possible consensus on Lokpal. But all the parties pledge to back 'strong' Lokpal in the coming monsoon session.

All-party meet on Lokpal Bill ends without any consensus....
Parties want Bill to be introduced in the coming monsoon session.
Ashok Tuteja & Faraz Ahmad || Tribune News Service || Courtesy : The Tribune, Chandigarh. 


New Delhi, July 3, 2011.

Consensus on the provisions of the Lokpal Bill eluded an all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his residence here today. The government moved one step forward in pushing its draft of the Lokpal Bill for the coming monsoon session. However, all parties attending the Prime Minister’s meet on the Bill unanimously passed a resolution endorsing government plans to bring the Lokpal Bill “following established procedures” in the monsoon session.

With the main Opposition party refusing to lay open its cards on various clauses of the parallel drafts prepared by the government and Anna Hazare’s team, there was no consensus among the political parties on points of difference between the two drafts. While the Prime Minister expressed his government’s firm resolve to enact a Lokpal Act, which provides for an “effective and quick institutional arrangement for tackling corruption in high places.”

At the three-hour-long meeting, Opposition parties were sharply divided over the draft of the legislation prepared by the government.

Emerging from the meeting, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said her party asked the government to ensure that the institution of Lokpal worked transparently and without fear or favour. “We have demanded that the Lokpal Bill be introduced in the monsoon session so that it could then be referred to the Standing Committee (of Parliament)… afterwards, it can be debated by political parties and various sections of the society. Once you have the opinion of every section, the Bill can be passed in the winters session of Parliament,” she added. Swaraj, however, maintained ambiguity about her party’s stand when asked if the BJP favoured bringing the office of the Prime Minister within the purview of the Lokpal. “We have not discussed various provisions of the Bill…they can be debated once the bill is referred to the Standing Committee,” she added.

The Congress has already stated that it would not like the office of the PM to be brought within the ambit of Lokpal.

The Left parties and several small parties have, however, opined that the PM’s office should not be excluded from the purview of the Lokpal. Some parties were of the view that judiciary should not be brought under it. There should be a judicial commission to tackle any cases of corruption in the judiciary.

The meeting was attended by top leaders of almost all the parties in Parliament amid a demand by civil society group led by Anna Hazare that the proposed law bring the PM and the higher judiciary within its ambit. It also seeks to control the MPs and bureaucracy across the nation transgressing the deferral structure of the Indian polity.

Besides the PM, the meeting was attended by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal, M Veerappa Moily, Salman Khurshid and Pawan Kumar Bansal (Cong) Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Heavy Industries Minister Praful Patel (both NCP), and T R Baalu (DMK) from the UPA’s side. The Opposition was represented by BJP veteran L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley (BJP), JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav, S S Dhindsa (SAD), Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Gurudas Dasgupta and D Raja (both CPI), Lalu Prasad (RJD) and V Maitreyan and M Thambidurai (both AIADMK), S C Mishra (BSP) and Ram Gopal Yadav (SP), among others. Other contentious issues that came up at the meeting were bringing MPs' conduct inside Parliament, CBI's anti-corruption wing and lower bureaucracy across the country within the ambit of Lokpal, besides mode of financing and the panel for selecting the ombudsman.

The government presented to the parties a comparative draft of the provisions of the Lokpal Bill suggested by the civil society and those put forward by the five Union Ministers in the drafting committee. In his opening remarks, the PM noted that the enactment of a strong Lokpal Bill has attracted a lot of attention during the past few months. He recalled how the government constituted a joint drafting committee on the Lokpal Bill, its nine meetings, which achieved considerable progress but failed to evolve consensus on many issues.

He acknowledged divergence of views on a few important issues between the Government and Anna’s nominees. “There is no doubt that corruption is a major issue today. It is not that we do not have legal and institutional arrangements in place to tackle corruption,” he said. However, there was a feeling that the institutional arrangements in place were not strong enough to ensure that the guilty, especially those occupying high positions, were brought to book swiftly and given deterrent punishment. He asserted that the government was committed to bringing the bill before Parliament in the coming Monsoon Session. However, it was important that such an institutional arrangement enjoyed the support of as large a section of people as possible and that there was the widest possible consensus regarding the Bill. “I must also add that while a good law and a strong institution are necessary to tackle the problem of corruption, these alone would never suffice. Along with these, we need to focus on simplifying procedures, reducing discretion, eliminating arbitrariness and increasing transparency in the way government functions.

He, however said that whatever arrangement was proposed, has to be for the larger good of society and the country. The institution of the Lokpal has to work in harmony with other institutions and laws and it has to function within the framework of the basic structure of the Constitution.

Making a safety vulvae to promote terrorism and communalism in Muslims.

VHP to launch nation-wide stir against communal violence bill.

Prevention of communal and Targeted Violence Bill, 2011 will promote terrorism in Muslim communities and harass the Hindus in every foot step - Dr. Togadia. 
Source :PTI | 10:07 PM,Jul 03,2011

The VHP will launch a nationwide agitation later this month in protest against the proposed communal violence bill, calling the legislation "draconian".

Vehemently opposing the proposed bill drafted by Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council, VHP general secretary Praveen Togadia said, "It enables non-Hindus to commit crimes with impunity while rendering Hindus incapable of defending themselves in the event of attacks from members of a minority community."

Declaring that the VHP will oppose the bill tooth and nail, he said it will start a nation-wide agitation from July 15 in protest against it.

The bill would also act as a protective shield against jihadi Muslims while they are indulging in rioting or terrorist activities anywhere in the country, Togadia said. "Through our agitation, we will mobilize public opinion against the proposed bill. We will involve retired officials of administrative services, judiciary and armed forces in our drive as the bill would have its most crippling effects on the law-enforcing agencies", Togadia claimed. The VHP general secretary also condemned the police action against yoga guru Ramdev at Delhi's Ramlila ground last month and alleged "he was singled out for this treatment because he has the image of a revered Hindu saint."

"After all, the government felt no need to humiliate Anna Hazare at Jantar Mantar who has been raising similar demands with equal intensity," he said but hastened to add VHP is in no way opposed to the anti-corruption drive of Hazare. "We extend our support to any effort made by anybody in this direction," he said. Expressing strong displeasure over "attempts to curtail Amarnath Yatra", the VHP leader said, "We warn the Jammu and Kashmir government that any such assault on the religious sentiments of millions of Hindus will be strongly opposed."

Togadia was speaking to reporters at Jhusi on the outskirts of the city after the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the VHP's "Kendriya Prabandhak Samiti".

"There are two internationally accepted principles of justice - the law of the land shall be applicable to all and a person shall be considered innocent unless proven guilty.

The proposed bill goes against these principles and aims at paving the way for a draconian law which tilts the scales against Hindus", he said.

The fire-brand VHP leader claimed that the proposed bill would "make it impossible for the police and the army to act against stone-pelting mobs in Kashmir''.

Lokpal row. "Fast again if 'right' draft ignored" - Anna to Sonia.

Anna meets Sonia, says will fast if 'right' draft ignored


BS Reporter / New Delhi July 3, 2011, 0:18 IST / Courtesy : Business Standard.

Social activist Anna Hazare meets Sonia Gandhi today
to seek her support on the Jan Lokpal bill.

Even as social activist Anna Hazare and his team met Congress President Sonia Gandhi here today to seek her support for the Lok Pal Bill, after the meeting, the former threatened to go on a fast again if the ‘right draft’ was not sent to the Parliament.

“A proper draft of the Bill should go to the Parliament. The civil society members will respect whatever the Parliament decides,” Hazare said after the meeting.

According to him, a proper draft will include the PM, higher judiciary, civil servants and the conduct of MPs in Parliament.

He said talks with Gandhi were fruitful and she was informed about the differences in the drafting of the Bill. Describing the meeting as satisfactory, Arvind Kejriwal said Gandhi was informed why the Lok Pal panel wanted the office of the Prime Minister to come under the Bill’s purview.

"We want the correct draft of the Bill to be sent to the Parliament,” he added.

Sources privy to the meeting said that Gandhi assured Hazare and his team that she will discuss the contentious issues with senior Congress leaders.

Veteran Congress leaders like Pranab Mukherjee and Janardan Dwivedi were also present during the meeting. Earlier this week, Mukherjee had blasted activists like Hazare for their threats and said the suggestions they had given for removing corruption were not practical.

Gandhi has her own compulsions. She is bound by the Congress Working Committee’s resolution, asking her not be swayed by “self-styled civil society members.”

Congress managers are waiting to see what stand the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will take. As far is the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is concerned, while the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) favours the Hazare formulation — that of the inclusion of the PM in the bill — the AIDMK does not support the inclusion. Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party will stand by the UPA on the issue.

Tomorrow’s all-party meeting will decide what will come out of the two drafts currently in circulation.

Yesterday, the Congress spelt out its stance clearly. Party spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, “Our stand, though not conclusive, is very clear, and is subject to the decisions taken in the Cabinet and, most importantly, to the collective will of the Parliament. We are of the view that the institutions of the Prime Minister and the judiciary should not be brought under the Lok Pal’s ambit.”

“If the Prime Minister is brought under the Lok Pal, it would lead to inherent instability in democratic and parliamentary governance. It is not about an individual, but an institution. We have to think about the stability of the same,” Singhvi had said.

Political Initiatives and People's Participation can fortify the Spirit of Lokpal.

Initiating their dialogue with political parties, the Anna Hazare team met 
senior BJP leader L.K. Advani 

Anna Hazare meets BJP top brass on Lokpal Bill

Source: News Bharati  | Date: 7/1/2011 8:07:59 PM | eNews Bharati.

BJP today made its first serious move to engage on the Lokpal Bill issue with its top brass discussing the two drafts of the proposed legislation and the impact of bringing MPs and higher judiciary in its ambit with civil society activists led by Anna Hazare.

Hazare, along with his team members Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, went to the BJP headquarters here for a meeting with LK Advani and ten other top party leaders, who assured him that the opposition party was fully committed to a "strong and credible" Lokpal.

During the one-and-a-half hour meeting, also attended by Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, the civil society members apprised the BJP leaders of the points of differences between their draft and the draft of the government representatives led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

Both maintained that there was no discussion on including the Prime Minister within the ambit of the Lokpal. Team Anna has been making a strong pitch for such a move.

The opposition's main concern was whether the MPs would continue to enjoy the legal immunity they do for acts done in Parliament once the Lokpal is appointed.

"We were asked whether constitutionally it is possible to have the Lokpal and Lokayukta under the same Bill and about Article 105 (2) of the Constitution (which deals with immunity to MPs for their actions in Parliament). There were a lot of technical questions which were asked," Kejriwal said.

Both the BJP and the civil society members agreed that the Bill should ensure a mechanism by which people of "integrity and independence" are appointed as Lokpal.

After the meeting, BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said his party is "fully committed to a strong and credible Lokpal".

With government having convened an all-party meeting on July 3 to discuss the issue, BJP chose to keep its cards close to its chest, refusing to divulge areas of disagreement with the government and Jan Lokpal drafts.

Supreme Court of India holds no interference in Lokpal Bill drafting committee.

SC says no to interference in 
Lokpal bill drafting committee 

SC says no to interference in Lokpal bill drafting committee

Source: Agency | Date: 6/28/2011 3:41:56 PM | eNews Bharati

New Delhi  Jun  28 : In a major development  the Supreme Court said it will not interfere in the constitution of the joint committee for drafting of the Lokpal Bill and termed the petitions "premature".

The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice S H Kapadia decided to adjourn the hearing on three public interest litigations (PILs)  till mid-July. The Apex court didn’t accept the petitioner’s plea that the committee would draft the bill by June 30. Honorable justice said,

“ In one petition filed by Mahan Dal, a political party in Haryana said that a bill of such a great national importance shouldn't be drafted in haste or under pressure from Anna Hazare and others as it would set a bad example. "Whether a decision affecting the whole of the nation can be taken so suddenly without having a public debate on such a national issue of great public importance?

"Whether the government could take an action under the threat or pressure from one of the citizens of the country and whether this would not create a bad precedent for future? "Ultimately the government succumbed to the pressure of Anna Hazare and hurriedly came out with a resolution on April 8 2011," it was said in one of the petitions filed by counsel R K Kapoor. The PIL also said that the composition of the joint drafting committee was totally partisan, arbitrary and not in national interest.

A PIL express fears that enactment of Lokpal would be against  the spirit of Article 50 of the Constitution of India. It will wipe out the separation of the judiciary from the executive.

"A decision affecting the whole nation cannot be taken so suddenly without having a public debate on such a national issue of great public importance. The government cannot take action under threat or pressure from one of the citizens of the country and such succumbing to pressure tactics would create a bad precedent for future,

" it was said in one of the petitions filed.  The petition also said that the joint drafting committee should be expanded and more persons from different fields like women, minorities, media, academics etc. and others be included to give it a un-biased and non-partisan touch. In second petition Kaushal Kishore Shukla, through counsel Jitender Singh, had demanded inclusion of Leader of the Opposition in the drafting panel. In third PIL advocate Manoharlal Sharma challenged the notification but also asked the Apex court to order a CBI inquiry into alleged illegal activities of Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan, the father-son duo.