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. 

Lok Pal Trail : Lokpal Bill in Monsoon Session : How ??

Govt confident of introducing Lokpal Bill in Monsoon Session 
Source: PTI  || Date: 7/4/2011 4:02:54 PM || eNews Bharati.

New Delhi, Jul 4 (PTI) : With majority of political parties batting for Parliamentary supremacy on the Lokpal Bill, government today expressed confidence that a consensus will emerge on the issue and the draft legislation would be introduced in Parliament in the upcoming Monsoon Session.

"We are very happy with the outcome of the all party meeting yesterday...we are confident we can take the process forward to bring the Bill in the Monsoon Session and pass it as soon as possible," Home Minister P Chidambaram said here.

He pointed out that yesterday's all party meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh emphasised the primacy of the Parliamentary process and the role of political parties to pilot and approve legislations.

Chidambaram's remarks reflected a sense of relief in the government which was so far battling the civil society led by Anna Hazare on the Lokpal issue alone while receiving flak from Opposition parties on the issue of corruption.

"We will therefore bring a Bill in the monsoon session of Parliament. That Bill will be examined. Every effort will be made to pass the Bill at the earliest. But that will depend on the members of Parliament and their desire to follow established procedures," Chidambaram said.

Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal made it very clear that the government had promised to bring the Lokpal Bill in the Parliament in the Monsoon Session but there was no commitment on the timeline of passing the same.

"We had said we are committed to bringing the Bill in the monsoon session. We never said it will be passed in the monsoon session," Sibal said.

The Minister also said that two parties which took part in the all party meeting suggested that the Bill could be passed in the Winter Session.

Courtesy : PTI & News Bharati. 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.

Talking against black money & corruption is not crime, but people's rights.

Nitin Gadkari wedged a severe attack on Manmohan Sing over his statements during the meet with select editors

Is it a crime to talk against black money & corruption ? – Gadkari asks PM

Source: News Bharati | Date: 6/29/2011 9:39:54 PM | eNews Bharati.

New Delhi, June 29 : The BJP president Gadkari today launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the views aired by him during his interaction with select editors, terming him as “failed” economist. Taking strong objection to the PM’s remarks on Baba Ramdev & Ramleela ground incident, he asked the PM, “is it a crime in India to talk against black money & corruption?” Also referring to the fuel price hike, he quipped that the congress government does not want the common man to live.

The BJP president, reacting to the Prime Ministers select press meet on Tuesday, said that the quandary the government is currently in, is of its own making.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Nitin Gadkari took strong exception to PM’s allegation that the Opposition is ‘not cooperating’ and instead alleged that the government did not consult them before starting parleys with the civil society over Lokpal bill.

He said, “We were not taken into confidence and now when they are in a fix, they remember us and accuse us of noncooperation.”

Gadkari said that the BJP will take a stand (on the Lokpal Bill) after it is tabled in Parliament.

Referring to PM’s statement that the Ramdev episode was unfortunate but unavoidable, Gadkari said, “Is it a crime to talk against black money and corruption? When the people, by and large, had not taken single stone in their hands, then why did the police attack them? Is this good for democracy?”

He quipped further, “The PM should explain why such an action was taken. Government ministers go to the airport to escort Ramdev and within four days your people call him thug? Now they say that same will happen with Anna Hazare. The Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi should explain what type of democracy they want in the country,” the BJP president added.

On the issue of the government’s perceived failure to check rise on prices of essential commodities, Gadkari said, “The economist PM has failed in the examination.”

Referring the recent fuel price hike, Gadkari said the move was unwarranted for, and could have been avoided. He said that the LPG prices should not have been hiked as the prices are exorbitant & are going out of reach of the common man.

He opined that inflation is high because of wrong economic policies of the government. “Rs 70 thousand crores worth of food grain is rotting. Why can’t the government distribute it to the poor?” he asked.

(Readers can access the official transcript of Prime Minister's talk with the select editors by clicking here.) 

Govt. of West Bengal should publish the hidden deal of Corruption for Singur Land and Tata Motors.

Supreme Court stays return of Singur land

Source: Agencies | Date: 6/29/2011 1:04:30 PM | eNews Bharati

New Delhi, June 29 : Tata group got some respite from the decision of Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Wednesday stayed the return of land acquired from farmers in Singur in West Bengal for the Tata Motors Nano  project till the final order on the issue by the Calcutta High Court.

The Supreme Court, however, said it will not interfere in the decision.

'The Supreme Court said it will not interfere in the special leave petition but till a further order from Calcutta High Court, no distribution of land will be done,' West Bengal government's lawyer Kalyan Bandopadhyay told reporters.

The newly elected Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal had passed a bill to return the land acquired from farmers who were unwilling to part with it.

The legislation was challenged by Tatas in the Calcutta High Court, which ruled against them. They then moved the apex court.

Given the urgency of the matter, the Supreme Court also asked the Calcutta High Court to give its decision within a month.

iFACT=> It is believed that the TATA group of industries had a suppressed deal with the dethroned Left  Front Govt. to enjoy more facilities by them in West Bengal, which spoiled many acres of two corps fertile lands of the annoyed farmers, whose factual profits and interests were jeopardized by a ruthless and forceful way of land acquisition in Singur for the proposed Nano 4 wheeler factory, hinting a practice of corruption by both the part of Govt and the TATA Motors.