लोकपाल की तकदीर पर कैबिनेट की बैठक टली

नई दिल्ली: लोकपाल बिल का भविष्य आज तय नहीं हो पाएगा, क्योंकि स्टार न्यूज़ से सूत्रों से मिली जानकारी के मुताबिक शाम को कैबिनेट की बैठक में इस बिल पर चर्चा नहीं होगी.

सूत्रों का मुताबिक इस बिल का परिवर्तित ड्राफ्ट तैयार नहीं है और ऐसे में कल शाम या परसों सुबह इस बिल पर चर्चा के लिए कैबिनेट की बैठक बुलाई जा सकती है.

इस बिल में विवाद की सबसे बड़ी जड़ सीबीआई है और अब सवाल यह ही है कि कैबिनेट सीबीआई को लेकर क्या फैसला करती है. इस बीच अन्ना हजारे ने प्रधानमंत्री पर ही वादाखिलाफी का आरोप जड़ दिया है. अन्ना ने प्रधानमंत्री की नीयत पर सवाल खड़ा करते हुए कहा है कि सरकार इस बिल को लेकर टालमटोल का रवैया अपना रही है.

दूसरी ओर प्रधानमंत्री मनमोहन सिंह ने ये कहकर साफ कर दिया है कि कैबिनेट जब आज बैठेगी तो लोकपाल बिल के ड्राफ्ट पर बात तो ज़रूर होगी, लेकिन अभी भी ये सस्पेंस बना हुआ है कि आखिर अन्ना हजारे को मनाने के लिए मनमोहन सिंह कितना झुकेंगे और किन-किन मुद्दों पर झुकेंगे.

स्टार न्यूज को जानकार सूत्रों से मिली जानकारी के मुताबिक सरकार लोकपाल के दायरे में प्रधानमंत्री के पद को लाने पर राजी हो सकती है, लेकिन यह फैसला कुछ शर्तों के साथ होगा.

'बात बन सकती है'

टीम अन्ना के अहम सदस्य अरविंद केजरीवाल ने स्टार न्यूज़ के कार्यक्रम में संकेत दिए कि इस पर बात बन सकती है.

अन्ना को मनाने के लिए ग्रुप 'सी' के कर्मचारियों को लोकपाल के दायरे में लाया जाना भी तय लग रहा है.

लोकपाल में अनुसूचित जाति, जनजाति, ओबीसी, अल्पसंख्यक, महिलाओं को 50 फीसदी आरक्षण दिया जा सकता है. टीम अन्ना को भी आरक्षण देने पर एतराज़ नहीं है.

लोकपाल और सदस्यों के चयन का जिम्मा पीएम, लोकसभा स्पीकर, विपक्ष के नेता, चीफ जस्टिस या उनकी ओर से नियुक्त जज और राष्ट्रपति की ओर से नामाँकित कोई गणमान्य व्यक्ति के पैनल को सौंपा जा सकता है.

लोकपाल को हटाने के लिए कुछ प्रक्रिया अपनाई जा सकती है कि 100 सांसद राष्ट्रपति को शिकायत लिखकर दें, राष्ट्रपति सुप्रीम कोर्ट को याचिका बढ़ाएं और सुप्रीम कोर्ट का फैसला लोकपाल या सदस्य के खिलाफ हो तो उसे हटाया जा सकता है. साथ ही लोकपाल संसद के प्रति जवाबदेह होगा.

जन-शिकायतों के लिए जो बिल आना है उसमें लोकपाल को दूसरी संस्था बनाई जा सकती है जहां लोग अपील कर सकें. लोकपाल बिल से ही राज्यों में लोकायुक्तों की नियुक्ति की बात पहले ही मानी जा चुकी है.

सीबीआई का सवाल

सबसे बड़ा सवाल सीबीआई को लेकर फंसा हुआ है. सर्वदलीय बैठक में भी पार्टियों के बीच एक राय नहीं थी कि लोकपाल के तहत सीबीआई को लाया जाए या नहीं. सरकार सीबीआई लोकपाल को देना नहीं चाहती और टीम अन्ना का कहना है कि सीबीआई ही लोकपाल की आत्मा है.

टीम अन्ना की मांग है कि सीबीआई निदेशक की नियुक्ति की प्रक्रिया भी वही हो जो लोकपाल की होगी लेकिन सरकार ने मन बनाया है कि सीबीआई निदेशक की नियुक्ति प्रधानमंत्री, विपक्ष का नेता और लोकपाल का पैनल करे. अन्ना ने भी प्रधानमंत्री को चिट्टी लिखकर कहा है कि अगर सीबीआई नहीं तो किसी काम का नहीं होगा लोकपाल.

लोकपाल को लेकर अन्ना हजारे का रुख लगातार सख्त होता जा रहा है. कैबिनेट की बैठक से ठीक एक दिन पहले अन्ना हजारे ने सरकार को चेतावनी भी दे दी और अपनी मंशा भी जता दी है.

अन्ना ने शनिवार को प्रधानमंत्री को एक चिट्ठी भी लिखी है इस उलाहने के साथ कि आपने वादाखिलाफी की. अन्ना ने चिट्ठी लिखकर प्रधानमंत्री को बता दिया कि संसद में लोकपाल नहीं आया तो 27 दिसबंर से अनशन होकर रहेगा.

From corruption to tribal rights: 2011 appears to be the year of social activism in India

NEW DELHI: With Anna Hazare stealing much of the media limelight, social activists this year mounted a determined offensive over issues ranging from corruption and black money to tribal rights. 

While social activism has for long been an important part of the world's largest democracy, the trend got a boost from the anti-corruption movement of Hazare, who became the face of India's war on corruption. 

A former army driver, Hazare fasted in Delhi thrice this year, forcing the government to take steps to unveil an independent body with powers to investigate and prosecute corrupt officials. 

The 74-year-old from Maharashtra caught the imagination of millions. Thousands took to the streets in support, waving the tricolour and the now famous 'I am Anna' caps and T-shirts. 

Shadab Fayaz, a Delhi University student who has been participating in anti-graft protests in the capital, sees "a change India is witnessing for the founding of a better and more democratic India". 

"It has become easier for leaders like Hazare to seek support for any cause through social networking sites, internet forums and SMSes. We have seen a rise in the awareness among students," he said. "They are becoming participatory rather than silent spectators." 

Hazare apart, there were other movements in small towns and cities that marked the dawn of a new revolution in India. 

In July, social worker Nileema Mishra, who works in the field of micro-credit, was named one of the two winners of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the other being Harish Hande, founder of a solar power company that seeks to bring electricity to rural areas. 

The 39-year-old Mishra got major recognition for her work among poor villagers that led to 1,800 women's self-help groups in Jalgaon and other parts of Maharashtra. 

On June 4, yoga guru Baba Ramdev, taking a leaf out of Hazare's book, commenced an indefinite hunger strike in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan to protest against corruption and black money. 

Thousands of his followers trooped to the site. But in less than 24 hours, a police crackdown ended the demonstration before it gained greater momentum. Ramdev later went low profile but continues to speak against graft and the government. 

In Himachal Pradesh, Rattan Manjari, 59, took on patriarchal laws that bar tribal women from inheriting property in the hill state. 

She and her supporters daily visit a village in tribal areas to create awareness about her movement that has seen thousands rallying behind her for amendments to the customary laws. 

Down south, a 75-year-old activist in Tamil Nadu successfully led a legal battle that saw several commercial establishments in Chennai's busy T. Nagar area sealed by authorities for violating building norms. 

The activist, popularly known Traffic Ramaswamy, is a former mill worker and a self-appointed traffic policeman -- as much of his activism relates to regulating traffic in Chennai. 

Congress appeals for patience on Lokpal Bill

As Anna Hazare threatened to go ahead with his proposed fast, Congress on Saturday counselled patience on Lokpal Bill, saying the government would get the "very important" legislation passed in Parliament as "early as possible".
"Anna should have confidence in government. I feel this

matter is unnecessary," Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi said in the wake of the social activist writing a fresh letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
In the letter, Hazare said doubts have arisen over whether the Lokpal Bill will be passed by December 23 when Parliament session gets over and threatened to go ahead with his proposed fast and 'jail bharo' agitation.
Alvi said the government is trying its best to build a broad consensus on the measure not only within the UPA but also among all other parties.
Criticising the BJP which has supported Anna's deadline, Alvi said, "Hopefully this bill will be brought in the current session, but nobody should be in a hurry. It is a very important bill, One should have patience. Government will get it passed as early as possible."
In his letter, Hazare said in the last one year, the government has given a lot of assurances on Lokpal Bill but every time they have "betrayed" the countrymen.
"Despite your promises, if a strong, independent and effective bill is not passed in the session, I will be forced to sit on a fast from December 27. 'Jail bharo' agitation will start from December 30," Hazare wrote.

Anna to watch Lokpal proceedings from viewers' gallery in Parliament Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/anna-to-watch-lokpal-proceedings-from-viewers-gallery-in-parliament-158675&cp

New Delhi\Bangalore: Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare will be present in the viewers' gallery of the Parliament when the Lokpal Bill would be tabled and discussed.

"Anna will be present in the visitors' gallery when government tables the Lokpal Bill in Parliament," Mr Hazare's close aide Suresh Pathare said. His close associates, also popularly known as Team Anna, will also accompany him to Parliament House complex on the day the bill is tabled.

The Centre is planning to introduce the bill next week, before the ongoing session ends on December 22. Mr Hazare has warned of a fresh fast from December 27 if a strong Lokpal Bill is not passed. He is particularly upset after some of his key demands were not incorporated in a draft prepared by the Parliament's Standing Committee, which was tasked to study the bill that would enable the formation of the Lokpal, an ombudsman that would look into cases of corruption among public servants.

The 74-year-old Gandhian has also written yet another letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accusing the government of betrayal in bringing a tough Lokpal Bill. (Read)

The government, meanwhile, has gone on an overdrive to ensure a smooth passage of the bill when it is introduced in Parliament. Towards that end, the Prime Minister convened an all-party meeting on Wednesday where he assured all of the government's commitment to bringing a strong and effective Lokpal in the current session of Parliament. (Read) The meeting came on the back of a broad consensus among political parties over bringing the PM and lakhs of junior bureaucrats under the ambit of the Lokpal. These proposals, among a few, are crucial to the formation of the Lokpal, Anna and his associates have said. But the government is still holding back on committing to putting the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the Lokpal's jurisdiction. It will most likely suggest that the CBI's investigative autonomy be preserved. So the agency will report to the Lokpal only on the cases assigned to it by the ombudsman. (Read: At all-party meet on Lokpal, no consensus on inclusion of CBI) But this is not acceptable to Mr Hazare who has alleged that the Centre is not willing to let go of control over the premier investigating agency. This is something that found mention in his letter to the PM today where he said that the "Lokpal is toothless without the CBI."

Hazare writes to PM again

New Delhi: In a yet another warning to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, social activist Anna Hazare in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday has re-iterated his decision to go on an indefinite fast beginning 27 December. Hazare has demanded that the Lokpal Bill gets passed in the winter session of the Parliament. The current session is scheduled to end on Thursday.

Social activist Anna Hazare. Photo: AP

“If according to your promise, a strong, independent and effective Lokpal Bill does not get passed in the winter session of the Parliament, I will be compelled to go on an idnefinite fast from 27 December,” Hazare wrote in the letter to Singh. “However, I have full faith that you will fulfill your promises and not disappoint the nation this time.”
In the letter, Hazare has enlisted a seven points on which the government has “cheated the people of the country” in the past one year. It includes the government favouring its own versio of the Lokpal Bill following a the deliberations of a joint drafting committee, presenting a “weak” Bill in the monsoon session of the Parliament and about Hazare’s arrest during his agitation in August.
“There are a lot of shortcomings in the report prepared in the standing committee (on Lokpal),” Hazare wrote. A standing committee report tabled in the Parliament on 9 December rejected most of Hazare’s recommendation including bringing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and government’s Group C employees under the Lokpal.
The veteran activist, along with an indefinite fast, has called for a “jail-bharo” (fill the jails) agitation. Earlier in this year, the anti-graft activist from Maharashtra, has gone on two “indefinite” fasts in the month of April and August in New Delhi. However, the venue for his December fast could be Mumbai instead of New Delhi if the “climate was not good”, Hazare had told reporters on Thursday.
Suresh Pathare, Hazare’s close associate, on Saturday wrote on the social networking site, Twitter, that Hazare would be present in the visitor’s gallery of the Parliament when the government will table the Lokpal Bill.

Anna Hazare's effect not lost in the margin

The Congress finished a poor third and forfeited its deposit in the Hisar Lok Sabha by-election, results for which declared on Monday. Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) candidate and Bhajan Lal’s son Kuldeep Bishnoi was the victor.
Bishnoi scraped through with a narrow margin of 6,323 votes over his main rival Ajay Chautala of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). Bishnoi polled 3,55,941 votes while Chauthala got 3,49,618 votes. Bishnoi’s father, late Bhajan Lal, had won the Hisar seat in 2009 by a margin of 6,983 votes.
Congress’ Jai Parkash polled 1,49,785 votes, which is much reduced from the 2,04,539 he got in 2009 and when too he had trailed third. The party had nearly 54,000 votes less this time round, while the change in margin of the winner was about 660 votes.
Team Anna was happy that the Congress had lost but it tried to distance itself from the victory of Bishnoi, who said his victory was not because of the Anna-factor. “This was not our seat. It was held by Bhajan Lal who passed away recently, and there is nothing surprising about his son retaining it. This does happen in Indian politics,” said Congress spokesperson Renuka Chaudhary.
She asserted that the defeat was not a verdict on Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. “One by-election does not mean any such thing. The Congress has been in power for some time, so it does lead to some fatigue, but then as chief minister he still has some battery left,” she said, adding that chief minister’s do not come with an expiry date.
On Team Anna taking credit for this outcome, Chaudhary said that the right thing would have been if Arvind Kejriwal was fielded.l
He is the local man and that would have been the right thing to do, if they wanted to claim any credit,” Chaudhary said.
Speaking to DNA, Congress general secretary and party in-charge in Haryana BK Hari Prasad said that the verdict was on expected lines. “Congress lost Hisar even during the Sonia Gandhi wave in 2009. Kuldeep Bishnoi won on the sympathy vote for his late father, Bhajan Lal,” he said, denying that the Anna Team had any contribution to make in the Congress defeat. “They are shining on borrowed feathers.”
But Team Anna had its own take. “Congress doesn’t understand the language of fast. It only understands the language of votes.
Hisar elections were a sort of referendum for the Jan Lokpal Bill. The results have given clear indications to the Congress about what people want. They should learn from it,” said Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal. “We are not against any party. If the Congress passes a strict Lokpal Bill in the upcoming winter session, we will end our protest against it. We are protesting and asked people to vote against the Congress as that will put pressure on it to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill.”
Kejriwal cleared the air on why Anna decided not to go ahead with his UP tour. “We are not anti-Congress. Annaji would have come to this UP tour but he has given time to the government till the winter session. The prime minister has written a letter to him and we respect that. He has asked people to keep a watch on Parliament until the bill is passed,” Kejriwal said. He, however, warned the Congress that if it didn’t pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the winter session, Team Anna would ask people to vote against Congress in UP assembly elections

Will work with Congress if Lokpal Bill is passed: Anna Hazare

RALEGAN SIDDHI: After campaigning against it in the Hisar Lok Sabha by election, Anna Hazare today said he will work with Congress across the country if the UPA government brings a strong Lokpal Bill in the Winter session of Parliament and keeps its words on other reforms.
But he also sent out a warning to the Congress that if the Lokpal Bill was not passed in the Winter session he will work against Congress in the coming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and four other states like in Hisar.
In an interview to 'Aaj Tak' before going on 'Maun Vrat', the Gandhian said after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's latest letter to him he was encouraged that the government would bring a strong Lokpal, the channel said in a release.

"If the government brings a strong Lokpal and keeps its other promises, why should I oppose the Congress. In fact we will work with the Congress," he said referring to the Lokpal Bill and to electoral reforms including right to reject, decentralisation and more powers to gram sabhas.
Seeking to dispel the notion that Team Anna is anti-Congress, he denied that Team Anna had against Congress in Hisar at the behest of BJP and RSS.
"I have only seen him (RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat) on TV, I have never met him or spoken to him. These are all allegations. In politics political parties are ready to do anything. The Congress, BJP and RSS are together conspiring to defame Anna. I have nothing to do with the RSS or BJP," Hazare said.
Hazare denied that that he had received a letter from the RSS. "I don't even recognise Ram Madhav," he said when asked why the RSS leader was allowed on stage during the Jantar Mantar agitation.
He said he had never thanked BJP President Nitin Gadkari for the BJP'S support. "If someone else from my team did, I can't say."
In a rebuff to Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan, Hazare said he completely disassociated himself with his remarks on Kashmir.
"I am against anybody who talks about dividing the country. I am very uncomfortable with what Bhushan has said. Our core committee will meet to decide on his continuing as a team member. After it meets. I will take a decision."
Hazare also said Arvind Kejriwal was wrong in saying that Anna Hazare is above Parliament. "Arvind Kejriwal has not told me what he has said. But if he did say Anna is above Parliament, it's wrong. People are above Parliament, not Anna."
He said he would tell his colleagues not to exceed their brief and speak on each and every issue.
Hazare laughed off Congress leader Digvijay Singh's claim that he was being set up as a Presidential candidate in 2012.
"I neither have the aptitude nor the desire to become President. In any case, if I become President I won't be able to do what I have been doing for society now."
He said the Congress and BJP were shooting in the dark by spreading such rumours.

A welcome respite

Politics, essentially, is the art of negotiation. By deciding to halt the anti-Congress campaign till Parliament's winter session, Anna Hazare has demonstrated a political maturity that's essential to democratic policymaking. He has assured the Congress that he will not campaign in UP elections and will instead wait for the government to bring a Lokpal Bill in the forthcoming Parliament session. There is much merit in the prime minister writing to Anna - promising a strong Lokpal Bill but also broaching the subject of anti-corruption reforms in other sectors - in a letter that's serious in tone and intent. And Rahul Gandhi has invited a delegation from Ralegan Siddhi, Anna's village, to discuss development work as well as the controversial Jan Lokpal Bill.

These welcome shifts have come in the wake of a continued war of words, with the ruling Congress and Team Anna levelling sordid accusations at each other. Now both sides need to rein in their tempers and have productive negotiations sans acrimony for drafting a strong Lokpal Bill. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, in particular, needs to desist from throwing endless jibes at Anna. Team Anna members, too, must exercise restraint. All parties concerned need to remember that Anna's anti-graft movement, transformed into a pan-Indian phenomenon, has raised people's aspirations for corruption-free governance and systemic reforms.
Corruption will undoubtedly rank as a major poll issue in next year's assembly elections to states like UP, Gujarat and Punjab. Mention may be made in this context of the Congress's defeat in the just-concluded Hisar by-polls, even without making too much of the Anna effect. Team Anna had actively campaigned against the Congress - but the latter's candidate in any case was never in a winning position. The important issue here is that the Anna movement has rendered graft an integral part of political and governance discourse.
Amid the heightened public mood for systemic reform, all stakeholders need to concentrate on the Lokpal Bill. Culling out the most effective measures from the various versions of the anti-graft legislations will be their first task. While the UPA's Lokpal Bill is essentially ineffective, Anna's Jan Lokpal too suffers from serious flaws. Civil society worker Aruna Roy's anti-graft recommendations strike a middle path between the two. Putting together an effective legislation from this range of measures, tackling big-ticket corruption as well as routine grievances, require threadbare discussions. Both the Congress and Team Anna must live up to people's expectations by beginning this debate.

Anna Hazare stir is Brahminical: Swami Agnivesh

Anna Hazare stir is Brahminical: Swami Agnivesh
NEW DELHI: Swami Agnivesh, who was sidelined by Team Anna because of their suspicion that he was a "government mole", hit out on Saturday at his former comrades, accusing them of promoting a cult around Anna Hazare and behaving like Brahmanvadis.
"Everyone was wearing 'I am Anna' written cap...what was that...it was an attempt to build a cult...They should not have tried to do this...This was Brahmanvad," Agnivesh said.
Agnivesh also criticized and demanded apology from another Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal for his remark that Anna is above Parliament. "Those who have said that their leader is above Parliament must apologize," he said.
Though the Arya Samaj leader took no name, the remark highlighted the bitterness between him and Team Anna.
Once a visible figure in Team Anna's activities, Agnivesh lost his prominence after a TV channel stealthily filmed him criticizing his former colleagues to one Kapilji on phone. The "sting" was carried out when Anna and his colleagues were locked in a tense confrontation with the government, and was seen as an act of betrayal by anti-corruption campaigners.
Agnivesh's claim that the "Kapilji" he was talking to was not HRD minister Kapil Sibal, but Kapilji Maharaj, a guru, did not find any takers from the anti-graft brigade.
Agnivesh chose the platform of the All India Federation of SC/ST Organizations - known critics of Team Anna and their version of the Jan Lokpal bill - to air his views. The Federation has alleged that the terms of the Jan Lokpal bill were loaded against non-upper castes: something that Agnivesh did not seem to agree with while he was with Team Anna. Naturally, the accusation of Brahmanvad went down well with his audience.
Agnivesh reasoned that he fell out with Team Anna after he failed to convince them to push the parliamentary Standing Committee considering the Lokpal bill to incorporate the provisions of the Jan Lokpal bill.
"...I tried to persuade them that the Standing Committee can make changes in government's version of Lokpal bill. It has the power to change the entire legislation...It is like a mini-Parliament....and we should meet, pressurize and convince the Committee to adopt provisions of the Jan Lokpal bill...we should keep meeting the Committee...but they did not listen to me," Agnivesh said.
Addressing the gathering, dalit leader Udit Raj demanded representation of dalits, Muslim and backwards in the Lokpal Committee and asked Anna Hazare to accept the provisions of Bahujan Lokpal to get the support of these social groups. "We want reservation in Lokpal. We demand that expand the Lokpal committee to accommodate social groups," he said, arguing that no law would be successful if it did not enjoy support of 85% of the population.

Anna Hazare starts week-long 'maun vrat'

Social activist Anna Hazare today began his week-long 'maun vrat' (vow of silence) at his native village for "atma shanti" (peace of soul).
"Anna began his maun vrat this morning. He is sitting under a banyan tree near the Padmavati temple here," Hazare's close aide, Datta Awari, told PTI.
The 74-year-old Gandhian will stay in a 'kuti' (hut) during the maun vrat, Awari said.
Hazare has been continuously interacting with people after ending his 12-day-old fast for a strong Lokpal Bill in Delhi in August, and this put a lot of strain on him, Awari said.
The vow of silence comes close on the heels of the recent assault by suspected Ram Sene activists on a key 'Team Anna' member, Prashant Bhushan, who had advocated a plebiscite in Kashmir.
Hazare has distanced himself from Bhushan's statement, saying he did not agree with it and that it was the senior lawyer's personal view.
After campaigning against it in the Hisar Lok Sabha by election, Anna Hazare had yesterday said he will work with Congress across the country if the UPA government brings a strong Lokpal Bill in the Winter session of Parliament and keeps its words on other reforms.
But he had also sent out a warning to the Congress that if the Lokpal Bill was not passed in the Winter session he will work against Congress in the coming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and four other states like in Hisar.
In a TV interview ahead of his 'maun vrat', the Gandhian had said after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's latest letter to him he was encouraged that the government would bring a strong Lokpal.
"If the government brings a strong Lokpal and keeps its other promises, why should I oppose the Congress. In fact we will work with the Congress," he had said referring to the Lokpal Bill and to electoral reforms including right to reject, decentralisation and more powers to gram sabhas.
Seeking to dispel the notion that Team Anna is anti-Congress, he had denied that Team Anna had campaigned against Congress in Hisar at the behest of BJP and RSS.
"I have only seen him (RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat) on TV, I have never met himor spoken to him. These are all allegations. In politics, political parties are ready to do anything. The Congress, BJP and RSS are together conspiring to defame Anna. I have nothing to do with the RSS or BJP," Hazare had said.
Insisting that it was very much part of his movement against corruption, RSS had yesterday said Hazare's comments that there was no support from the Sangh fountainhead to his Jan Lokpal campaign was beyond its comprehension.
"Anna had made some comments on the RSS chief and also indicated that he viewed the letter written by me in support of his movement as a conspiracy. These views, which were published widely in the media, go beyond my comprehension and cause immense pain to me.
"It is tragic that a person of Anna's stature too has got influenced by narrow political conspiracy," RSS General Secretary Suresh "Bhaiyyaji" Joshi had said in a statement.
He was referring to a letter written by Hazare in reply to Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh.
"The views expressed in his letter would prove detrimental to the anti-corruption movement only. It will be most unfortunate," Joshi had said.

Will work with Congress if Lokpal Bill is passed: Anna Hazare

RALEGAN SIDDHI: After campaigning against it in the Hisar Lok Sabha by election, Anna Hazare today said he will work with Congress across the country if the UPA government brings a strong Lokpal Bill in the Winter session of Parliament and keeps its words on other reforms.

But he also sent out a warning to the Congress that if the Lokpal Bill was not passed in the Winter session he will work against Congress in the coming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh and four other states like in Hisar.

In an interview to 'Aaj Tak' before going on 'Maun Vrat', the Gandhian said after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's latest letter to him he was encouraged that the government would bring a strong Lokpal, the channel said in a release.

"If the government brings a strong Lokpal and keeps its other promises, why should I oppose the Congress. In fact we will work with the Congress," he said referring to the Lokpal Bill and to electoral reforms including right to reject, decentralisation and more powers to gram sabhas.

Seeking to dispel the notion that Team Anna is anti-Congress, he denied that Team Anna had against Congress in Hisar at the behest of BJP and RSS.

"I have only seen him (RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat) on TV, I have never met him or spoken to him. These are all allegations. In politics political parties are ready to do anything. The Congress, BJP and RSS are together conspiring to defame Anna. I have nothing to do with the RSS or BJP," Hazare said.

Hazare denied that that he had received a letter from the RSS. "I don't even recognise Ram Madhav," he said when asked why the RSS leader was allowed on stage during the Jantar Mantar agitation.

He said he had never thanked BJP President Nitin Gadkari for the BJP'S support. "If someone else from my team did, I can't say."

In a rebuff to Team Anna member Prashant Bhushan, Hazare said he completely disassociated himself with his remarks on Kashmir.

"I am against anybody who talks about dividing the country. I am very uncomfortable with what Bhushan has said. Our core committee will meet to decide on his continuing as a team member. After it meets. I will take a decision."

Hazare also said Arvind Kejriwal was wrong in saying that Anna Hazare is above Parliament. "Arvind Kejriwal has not told me what he has said. But if he did say Anna is above Parliament, it's wrong. People are above Parliament, not Anna."

He said he would tell his colleagues not to exceed their brief and speak on each and every issue.

Hazare laughed off Congress leader Digvijay Singh's claim that he was being set up as a Presidential candidate in 2012.

"I neither have the aptitude nor the desire to become President. In any case, if I become President I won't be able to do what I have been doing for society now."

He said the Congress and BJP were shooting in the dark by spreading such rumours.

Anna Hazare disowns Prashant Bhushan's J&K remarks

NEW DELHI: Faced with embarrassment over Prashant Bhushan's remarks advocating referendum for deciding the status of Jammu and Kashmir, Team Anna on Friday distanced itself from the lawyer-cum-activist's remarks and maintained that the northern state was an "integral'' part of India.
That Bhushan Junior's remarks had rattled the other members of the team was evident when their leader Anna Hazare while asserting that Jammu and Kashmir was very much a part of India dropped hints to suggest that the Supreme Court lawyer's continuance in the group was now under a cloud.
"Woh aage jaake hum log tay karenge, rakhna (hai), nahi rakhna (hai) (We will decide later whether he will remain with the team or not)," he told newspersons in his village, Ralegan Siddhi, in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district, when asked whether Bhushan, a key member of the team cobbled together by the anti-graft crusader to lead his campaign, will continue to be a part of the group.
"Whatever views he has articulated, that is not right," he said, two days after the junior Bhushan was attacked by three youth in his New Supreme Court lawyer's chamber.
The other members of the team too echoed similar sentiments, even though they clarified that Prashant Bhushan would remain a part of their group. A meeting of their core committee was held during the course of the day in Noida, in which a resolution stating that Kashmir was an integral part of the country was adopted.
Arvind Kejriwal, a key member of the group, later held a press conference in the Capital in which he clarified Anna's remarks on the Supreme Court lawyer. "He is an integral part of the team. He is a much respected citizen who has worked in several areas, including environment and human rights. He has played a crucial role in the anti-corruption movement also," Kejriwal said.
He said he had spoken to Anna over phone. "He told me that he did not say that. What he told me was that the committee will decide who should be in or out,'' Kejriwal said.
The core committee meeting could not be attended by Prashant Bhushan, who had since then left for the US, retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi, who was away in Amsterdam, besides Anna.
Kejriwal claimed that he had shown the resolution to Bhushan last evening and during his conversation, the lawyer told him that he has no problem with the movement taking a stand on Kashmir, even though he had his own views on the subject.
"Bhushan's statement (on Kashmir) is not the views of the team. He has never asked the team. These are his personal views. The team is not responsible for the comments. We are not in agreement with him," Kejriwal said, adding, "We did not like this (statement). It is not our view.''
Hazare, earlier in the day, had reiterated that Kashmir was an integral part of the country and he would do whatever he could do for the state. "Kashmir is an integral part of the country and it will remain so and we will have to do whatever we have to ensure this. This mindless argument on the issue should stop,'' he told newspersons in his village.
A day earlier, Bedi too had said the remarks made by Bhushan Jr were his personal views. "This is Bhushan's personal view. I am for better governance and integration of the people with Jammu and Kashmir," the retired police officer said.

Anna's electoral reforms impractical: CEC SY Quraishi

Anna's electoral reforms impractical: CEC SY Quraishi
New Delhi: Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare faced some more opposition as his proposed electoral reforms got a thumbs down from Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi who called them impractical. Speaking exclusively to Karan Thapar, Quraishi said it isn't possible in India.
SY Quraishi: Right to recall means about 5 lakh people will have to sign the application to recall, then we will have to verify those signatures, even as we have a case in our court right now, one party has split with 250 affidavits on each side. It is maddening to find out which signature is bogus.
Karan Thapar: So you are dead against the right to recall?
SY Quraishi: Yes absolutely. It's not possible at all in India. It will derail and destabilise the country. Everywhere discontented people will start recalling.
Also, in order to improve the credibility of the Election Commission, Quraishi has suggested that the appointment of the high powered body be done by a collegium of people representing a cross section of political parties. He said that such a move will drastically help in improving the public perception about the institution.
Karan Thapar: You were appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner by the Manmohan Singh government. Would you feel more empowered, stronger and more able to take measures if Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley had been part of the appointing authority?
SY Quraishi: Public perception is so important and this will definitely help in the public perception of neutrality of the institution.
Karan Thapar: So the Election Commission would feel more powerful if it was appointed by a cross political body rather than that by the government.
SY Quraishi: Yes I would think so.






 

NMC hopes Citizen's Charter brings transparency, efficiency

NMC hopes Citizen's Charter brings transparency, efficiency
NAGPUR: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has decided to ensure increased efficiency and transparency in its working. The NMC Standing Committee, on Saturday, passed a resolution to introduce citizen's charter -a crucial component of the Jan Lokpal bill proposed by Anna Hazare - to make officials accountable and help common people. The citizen's charter would be implemented after consent from the NMC general body.
Addressing newspersons after the Standing Committee meeting, Joshi said, "The citizen's charter will ensure massive improvement in NMC's works."
Once the Citizen's Charter is implemented, NMC will have to display a chart mentioning six points - nature of work, time duration, cost, concerned official with his/her contact number, concerned official and name, contact number of public grievance officer work. The chart will also be displayed outside the concerned department. It will be applicable for all works and departments related to the civic body.
Any citizen may lodge complaint with the citizen grievance officer in case of any delay in completion of work or compromise in quality or any malpractice. Currently, the citizens face hardships to reach concerned officer and getting their grievances redressed. For any information regarding works, the citizens seek information under RTI. Citizen's Charter will come in handy for citizens facing problems due to red tape.
If any concerned officer fails to complete the work in the stipulated time or maintain quality and transparency, he will be liable for a penalty of Rs 250 (minimum) to Rs 25,000 (maximum) per day till the officer completes the work, Joshi informed.
In case a revised deadline is issued and if the work is not complete, the concerned official would be fined Rs 500 (minimum) and Rs 50,000 (maximum) per day. "NMC will be the first civic body in the country to make provisions of such hefty penalty. The amount is just Rs 10-250 in MCD," Joshi said.
Welcoming the decision, RTI activist Rajeev Jagtap said the NMC needed something like this to rein in corruption that has been affecting civic amenities and works. Even the state government should implement Citizen's Charter in all departments," he said.

Anna Hazare effect in Jammu & Kashmir too

SRINAGAR: The Anna Hazare saga continues. The social activist whose anti-corruption crusade stir-red the nation and sho-ok the government drew huge crowds in the just-concluded Hisar bypoll.
Even in conflict-ridden Kashmir, the man from Ralegan Siddhi has found both mindspace and supporters. Newspaper seller Shauqat Rashid Wani is full of praise for the man who has spawned a cottage industry of Anna accessories.
"I remember seeing his face on the front page of local newspapers.We didn't have any protests or marches here but what Anna Hazare has done in India was praised here. We too need someone like that," says Wani.
Reactions of several other Kashmiris too reflected a similar sense of "us" and "them". For instance, Srinagar businessman Basheer Ahmed sees an "international" leader in Anna.
"Any leader rising in India should also look beyond the country. If he takes up our case, it can't be bad for him," says the 55-year-old.
In the past two decades, over 40,000 terrorists, civilians and armed personnel have been killed in a bloody conflict. Which is why optimism is a scarce commodity in these parts. Shopkeeper Abdur Rasheed says, "Nothing will happen. None of this is going to make a difference here. Kashmir functions on a different set of rules," he says.
In Jammu, the scene is different. Though there wasn't much action in the rural areas, the Anna effect could be felt in the towns.
As an act of solidarity, people came down to Jammu for a dharna at the time when Anna was on fast at the Ramlila ground.
Mohd Aslam Nawaz, who lost his ancestral land to a fraud, joined in a protest at the district headquarters of Poonch, which shares the border with Pakistan. "Hundreds had turned up. Young, old everyone," says Nawaz, an imam from Potha village.


 

‘If I win, it won’t be just because of Anna’

‘If I win, it won’t be just because of Anna’
Even as the impending Hisar election result is being seen as a test case for the electoral impact of social activist Anna Hazare, late Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal’s son Kuldeep Bishnoi plays down the Anna impact in the result, which will be out on Monday.  The Team Anna had campaigned against the Congress in the Haryana town, asking people not to vote for the party.
Bishnoi, the candidate of the Haryana Janhit Congress and BJP combine, is locked in a battle with INLD’s Ajay Singh Chautala and Congress’ Jai Parkash. Both Bishnoi and Chautala have supported Anna’s anti-graft campaign.
“I hope to win but it will be not only because of the Anna factor. I have the legacy of my father’s work, people have hopes in me, our alliance with the BJP has strengthened our position and I also have a clean image,” Bishnoi told Hindustan Times in a freewheeling chat after the polling and two days ahead of counting.
“The Anna factor is the fifth one, and became important in the last four-five days of the campaign.”
Bishnoi has another complaint. He believes that rather than asking for a negative vote against the Congress, Team Anna should have asked people to vote for him.
“Team Anna should not have asked for just negative vote against the Congress but a positive vote for me, as Chautala too is facing corruption charges.”
Bishnoi, however, said he fully supported Anna’s effort to fight graft —like LK Advani’s anti-corruption Yatra —she stood with anyone who was against corruption.
Bishnoi, who is seen by his supporters as the tallest non-Jat face in Haryana’s politics— on the lines of his late father — says he stands for farmers’ movements against land acquisition as there should be “balanced development”.
“Rahul Gandhi went to Bhatta-Parsaul... why has he not come to Haryana to take up the land acquisition issue?”Bishnoi, however, did not attack Mayawati’s memorial for Dalit leaders, but says spending money on the poor would have been a greater Shraddhanjali (tribute) to them.

 

Need to check RTI misuse, says Anna

Need to check RTI misuse, says Anna
Ralegan Siddhi: Seasons Shopping DiscussionBlogsMamata's gorwing up - By Bhaskar Sen
Anna's vow of silenc... - By Deepak
Silence - By Satish K Dwivedi
Maun varat - annaji - By slchawla
Hazare maun vrata - By shan
Drama - By srinivas
Maun vrata of anna - By Sudhin Dutt
A 50-year-old man, who cheated people claiming to be Gandian Anna Hazare's nephew, was arrested by the Antop Hill police on Friday. The accused, Navin Kumar Hazari, and his accomplice Madhavi Pritre, 44, was arrested after a victim, Leviniza D'souza, lodged a complaint against Hazari, said the police. According to her complaint, Hazari approached her claiming to be the director of a Wadala-based financial consultancy firm and cheated her of Rs33 lakh. He allegedly took 13 blank cheques under the pretext of filing income tax returns for her company and encashed them without her permission. Pritre allegedly forged signatures for Hazari.
The police said that using his surname, which is similar to that of the Gandhian, he would dupe people and win their trust. Apart from duping firms, Hazari allegedly cheated college students promising them admission into desired courses.
"We are investigating how many people have the duo cheated," said Shamsher Pathan, senior inspector of Antop Hill police station.

anna: Parallel govt dangerousFight against terror and PakKasab’s birthday How safe is knee replacement? 
Social activist Anna Hazare, a key advocate of the Right to Information Act, said on Saturday that some changes are needed in the Act as some people were making a “business” out of it. He also said that he has conveyed this to the government.
Hazare was responding to PM Manmohan Singh’s remarks on Friday that the RTI Act needed a critical relook “as it was adversely affecting deliberative processes in the government”.
Hazare said he believed that the government should be transparent, for which it is necessary that andar ki baatein should come out into public domain. “But some people have made it their business. They are demanding information that they don’t need and are using it to blackmail people,” he said.
Hazare said that he has conveyed to the government some measures that should be adopted to keep miscreants at bay.
“Repeated demand for information also hampers the government’s working,” he said. “Some people demand 4,000-5,000 copies and file repeated RTIs. Kuch brake lagana chahiye,” Hazare said.

Hisar bypoll: Campaigning ends under shadow of Anna factor

With Anna factor raising the stakes for the Congress, the high-pitched campaign for Hisar Lok Sabha bypoll dominated by wranglings between the ruling party and Team Anna came to an end on Tuesday evening.

With political heavyweights locked in a triangular contest, the October 13 poll battle has turned fierce for Congress as it has not only fight its opponents INLD and BJP-HJC but also counter any negative fallout of Team Hazare’s campaign which has openly come out against the party over the Lokpal issue.

Congress has fielded three-time MP from Hisar, Jai Prakash. He is pitted against Haryana Janhit Congress’ Kuldeep Bishnoi, son of late Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, and main opposition INLD’s Ajay Singh Chautala.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda had been camping here for over a fortnight canvassing for his party candidate Jai Prakash. While Mr. Hooda’s prestige is at stake as he had prevailed upon the Congress high command to name Mr. Prakash as candidate, the poll is equally important for Mr. Bishnoi and the Chautalas.

Following Team Anna’s appeal to people not to vote for Congress in Hisar bypolls, the chief ministers of Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan and senior party leaders at a poll rally on Monday hit back at the civil society members, dubbing them as agents of Opposition “trying to grind their own axe in the guise of fighting graft”.

INLD also held its poll campaign here today and asked voters to teach a lesson to the Congress under which corruption has allegedly flourished.

During poll campaign, Mr. Bishnoi invoked his late father Bhajan Lal and claimed himself to be the only “clean” candidate fighting from Hisar.

“I am Anna’s fan and have been supporting his cause right from day one. Anna has asked people to leave out Congress and choose a candidate with clean image. People know reputation of Chautalas who are facing charges for amassing disproportionate income,” Mr. Bishnoi had said.

Ajay Chautala, at present sitting MLA from Dabwali in Sirsa, also has tried to use the Anna card.

“Our party was the first to support him. We were even ready to pass a resolution in the Haryana Assembly to urge the central government to pass Jan Lokpal Bill as framed by team Anna, but the Congress regime in the state did not support us,” Mr. Chautala said.

Meanwhile, Congress has tried to put up a brave front during the poll campaign. Haryana unit chief Phool Chand Mullana said the party is not perturbed by Team Anna’s campaign and people will cast votes for Congress.

Mr. Bishnoi, whose five HJC MLAs switched over to the Congress immediately after the October 2009 Assembly polls, has his political future at stake.

Also at stake is INLD’s reputation, particularly in the light of CBI cases facing its top leadership including Ajay. The party reckons itself as the main challenger.

In all, there are 40 candidates, mostly Independents, in the fray for the bypolls in the parliamentary constituency which has approximately 13.32 lakh voters including 7.29 lakh males.

The Anna Party..!

“…If Anna Hazare wants to get into politics, he should form his own party…” Renuka Chowdhury, Congress spokesman.
It’s out in the open in Haryana, where Hazare has directed voters to vote against the Congress in the by-election. The man who went on a much-publicized fast against corruption, has started focusing his fight against a particular political party. The guru has now walked into the boxing ring, not to fight with his own bare fists, but to jump on the back of the opposition parties and help defeat the Congress.
“So sir, why don’t you do the fair thing and form your own party; the Anna Party.”
“The Anna party?”
“Yes, but first have an election, elect a President! Let that be your first move against the corrupt practices of ‘high commands’ and ‘supremos’ Have a party election as the constitution says you should and elect a leader!”
“Elect?”
“Yes sir, where your people will elect who they want as the head! You or Kiran Bedi, or that young man who waves the flag so well, or that man who’s always on the mobile whenever the cameras focus on him?”
“B..but, I am the leader!”
“Let it be said through a vote! They may want someone else.”
“It is I who started this movement against corruption, I went on a fast. It is I who built this whole dramatic uprising! How would they dare choose another?”
“Maybe someone like Kejriwal, clever speaker, or someone who dresses like Kiran Bedi; latest kurtas and kurtis, with the chakra embroidered so prettily in the middle!”
“It is not about kurtas and kurtis. It is about….”
“Let the people decide sir!”
“But they may fall in the trap!”
“What trap?”
“They may chose someone who wears better kurtas than me, or with little chakras embroidered in the middle?”
“That is democracy sir!”
“People are foolish!”
“We have noticed you think that others are foolish sir. Either you accept my bill, or face repercussions. When you lie on a couch in public and say do or die, do you know who is going to die sir?”
“Corruption?”
“No sir, it is the death of democracy. When you put a sword to a man’s head..”
“I do not believe in violence!”
“A fast to death is a violent act sir, dressed in the camouflage of non-violence!”
“So what do you want me to do?”
“Start your own party, elect a leader…”
“No, either my way, or no way!”
“Thank you. That is exactly what a ‘fast unto death’ tantrum also says sir..!”