Hazare announces jail bharo on April 12 after govt rejects demands

NEW DELHI: The government has rejected the demand of Anna Hazare to issue an official notification to constitute the draft committee for Lokpal Bill and also rejected the proposal for an outsider to lead the new committee of government and civil society.

The protesters announced that Kapil Sibal had conveyed about this decision to them and has also said that Pranab Mukherjee will head the committee.

Reacting to the government's stand, Anna Hazare announced country-wide Jail Bharo agiation on April 12.

An angry Hazare said that the people will teach the government a lesson by joinging the jail bharo agitation against the government.

Meanwhile, Anna Hazare, whose fast entered the fourth day on Friday, has said that he will not become the chairman of the proposed draft committee for the Lokpal Bill.

Addressing the thousands at the protest site, Anna Hazare said that he would only assist the committee in advisory capacity.

The fasting leaders announced that Anna Hazare will write a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh forwarding the names of Santosh Hegde and Justice GS Verma to lead the proposed draft committee.

The government has already rejected these names.

Hazare called for immediate decentralisation of power at the centre to ensure that there is end to corruption in governance.

Stating that Mahatma Gandhi stressed on decentralisation of power, he said his fast for Lokpal Bill was like the second fight for Independence. He said, Lokpal Bill will lead to decentralisation of power.

Hazare said Right to Information Act is an example for all to see. The RTI has led to devolution of power.

Taking a dig at the present set up, Hazare said all the agencies to tackle corruption at present are under the government and hence there has never been any positive outcome of any probe.

Hazare said we are demanding that all these agencies should come under the purview of Lokpal. This will ensure that all the corrupt will land in jail, he said.

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Govt rejects demand to make Anna head of Lokpal Bill panel

The government on Friday talked tough on Anna Hazare's demand for an effective Lokpal Bill, saying it cannot accede to the demands of chairmanship of the joint drafting committee being given to a civil society member and for issuing an official notification.

A meeting of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal with activists Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal scheduled this morning did not take place with both sides saying they were waiting for each other. The meeting is now scheduled at 6 pm.

Sibal said only government officials will be members of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill and that no minister will be part of it.

"There is no possibility of an official notification on the constitution of the joint committee but we have told them that we are willing to give an official letter through the law ministry and a press note," he said.

Sibal said he was waiting along with his ministerial colleague Salman Khurshid for Gandhian Hazare's supporters – Arvind Kejriwal and Swami Agnivesh – this morning but as they did not turn up, he called them on phone.

When Agnivesh asked him about the position of the government on the notification issue, Sibal said, "I told him our position remains the same.

"It is not possible for the government to issue a notification with respect to constitution of a joint committee. However, we are willing to issue an official letter through a department of the government, may be the law ministry and, of course, through a press note," he said.

Sibal said it was not possible for the government to accept that the chairman of the joint committee should be a member from the civil society.

"All other conditions and all other points are acceptable to us," the minister said.

"If you insist that a nominee of your side is a chairman of the joint committee, in that event the constitution of the committee will not consist of ministers from our end but it will consist of officials of government of India in which eventuality you can have your nominee as chairman of the joint committee," he said.

Meanwhile, Anna Hazare announced a jail bharo agitation from April 12.

Hazare's fast-unto-death entered the fourth day on Friday even as anti-corruption activists waited for a communication from the government over holding another round of talks to iron out differences over notifying formation of a joint committee to draft an effective Lokpal Bill.

Social activist Swami Agnivesh said, "We are waiting for a communication from the government side.

Yesterday, it was informally agreed that we will met around 9 am. We have not got any formal communication".

HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had said that two sides would be meeting this morning for the third round of talks.

"The two sides had agreed on almost all issues but there is no agreement on two issues, that is issuing an official notification to form the committee and making Hazare the chairman of the committee. So we need more time and we will meet again tomorrow and see we can evolve a procedure with which we can move ahead," he had said yesterday.

Three of the five demands raised by Hazare and his supporters have been met by the government. These are formation of a joint committee with five members each from government and civil society, immediate setting up of the panel and bringing the Bill in Monsoon session.

However, government did not agree to the demands of the activists that Hazare be made the chairman of the joint committee and issuing an official notification for the constitution of the committee.

A close aide of Hazare said the 71-year-old activist was in good health though there he was feeling weak. "We are waiting for the results of third round of talks," the aide said.

Last night, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had appealed to Hazare to end the fast. "I am sure that Hazareji's views will receive the government's full attention as we move forward to fight this menace. I appeal to Anna to give up his fast," Gandhi had said in her appeal.


Hazare had asked Gandhi to tell her government to get the Lokpal bill enacted at the earliest.

"I will fight till death," Hazare had said addressing hundreds of supporters gathered near Jantar Mantar here after word spread that talks between government and anti-corruption activists were deadlocked.

On Friday, Hazare said that he would write to Sonia Gandhi seeking her intervention on Lokpal Bill issue.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the government's reluctance to come out with a notification to constitute the committee, he said his fast will continue.

Indian express

Anna Hazare

Kisan Baburao Hazare, popularly known as Anna Hazare (January 15, 1940), is an Indian social activist who is especially recognized for his contribution to the development of Ralegan Siddhi, a village in Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra, India and his efforts for establishing it as a model village, for which he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by Govt. of India, in 1992.

Govt Lokpal Bill

Present

Lokpal Bill has been introduced eight times in Parliament since 1968. All the eight versions have been very weak. Even these weak versions have not been passed so far because Lokpal Bill seeks to investigate politicians. The latest draft of Lokpal Bill prepared by the present UPA government is a complete eyewash. Rather than strengthen anti-corruption systems, it demolishes whatever exists in the name of anti-corruption systems today. It seeks to completely insulate politicians from any kind of action against them