Activist Anna Hazare has issued a formal appeal to the lakhs of people who supported his campaign last week, to continue to be united in the fight against corruption, to keep the issue alive and not let it fall prey to forces that he says are trying to break it. "I appeal to all citizens to keep this campaign alive; we are all one in this...There are efforts to break our resolve...Forces have come together to break the campaign...Don't pay heed to misinformation," Hazare has appealed, barely a week after his hunger fast and the massive public support for his agenda forced the government to agree to present a bill to check corruption before the Monsoon Session of Parliament ends.
At Anna's insistence, five representatives of civil society will work with five ministers to draft the Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's Ombudsman Bill). (Read: What is Jan Lokpal Bill?) Anna is part of that committee.
Anna also said in his appeal today that his "campaign is not against any person or government but against corruption...This campaign is not aimed at subverting democracy but at making it stronger."
The activist, who captured the imagination of lakhs of Indians as he sat on a hunger strike in Delhi to get the government to agree to his demands, now also has to contend with some discontent among key supporters of his campaign. His recent statement praising the development accomplished by the Gujarat government has irked some like danseuse-activist Mallika Sarabahi, who had participated in demonstrations in Ahmedabad to support Hazare.
Anna, Sarabhai exchange letters over the Modi controversy
Sarabhai has written a critical letter to Hazare saying: "We are deeply shocked by your endorsement of Narendra Modi's rural development. There has been little or no rural development in this state...the state is in terrible debt because of his largesse to industry while 21 lakh farmers wait for compensation. Your endorsement is appalling and we will be forced to distance ourselves from the Lokpal movement unless it is irrevocably retracted."
Anna Hazare has already clarified that his praise was limited to Narendra Modi's rural development and he has said so in his reply to Sarabhai. "I praised only the developmental work done by Shri Narendra Modi and Shri Nitish Kumar in rural areas. Alongside I clarified that I am equally opposed to any form of communal disharmony."
Anna's Modi controversy: Digvijay weighs in
The Congress has been quick to attack him too. Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh - while describing Hazare as a "very fine human being who has done excellent service in the rural sector" - took a dig at the Gandhian for praising Narendra Modi.
"There is no Lokayukta in Gujarat for seven years. The post is vacant and he is praising Modi. Why does he not pressurise Modi over the Jan Lokpal Bill and for appointing the Lokayukta as people of Gujarat do not know where to complain", Singh remarked.
Digvijay Singh also suggested that the scope of the Lokpal Bill be widened and that the Joint Committee to draft the legislation also go into the issue of corruption in the corporate sector and NGOs as part of a comprehensive package against graft.
Singh said what his party colleague and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal had earlier suggested, that the issue of corruption would not end with the enactment of the Lokpal Bill. Singh said a comprehensive strategy needed to be evolved taking into consideration matters like the five-point plan unveiled by Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the party plenary for transparent governance.
Controversy over committee: Khurshid calls for restraint
There are only days now before the Joint Drafting Committee meets to prepare a stronger Lokpal Bill and with some controversy or an exchange of words every day on the issue, committee member Salman Khurshid has said that members should refrain from making statements that could vitiate the negotiating atmosphere.
"The problem is that before the committee can meet, everyone is giving their suggestions and point of view and drawing lines beyond which they won't retreat. It is not good for a negotiating atmosphere. Everybody should go with an open mind. Everybody knows the constraints and let's see how much we can overcome", said Khurshid.
No comments:
Post a Comment