Today Team Anna to meet Standing Committee

Key members of Team Anna will on Today meet the parliamentary panel examining the proposed Lokpal Bill to check corruption.

As per reports, noted social activist Anna Hazare will not attend today’s meeting on the Lokpal issue as he is yet to end his vow of silence (maun vrat) taken a few days back. Besides Anna Hazare, former Karnataka Lokayukta and key Team Anna member Justice Santosh Hegde is also likely to miss the meeting.

The Standing Committee meeting will be attended by other Team Anna members including Arvind Kejriwal, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan, Manish Sisodia and Kiran Bedi.

In today’s discussion, the Team Anna is likely to press for Constitutional amendments to widen Lokpal's powers to include conduct of MPs in Parliament and do away with sanction for prosecution required for bureaucrats.

The demand from Team Anna comes at a time when the government has reiterated its commitment to bring a stringent Lokpal mechanism, which will be a constitutional authority.

The government had earlier rejected suggestions for changes from Team Anna on the ground that the Constitution could not be drastically altered.

However, the Team Anna now claims since major amendments will be required to make Lokpal a constitutional authority, its demands can be met as well. The issue of guaranteeing constitutional sanctity was earlier raised by government representatives on the joint drafting committee that had included Team Anna. However, the committee ended in a stalemate.

Whatever may be the outcome of the meeting, Team Anna is likely to pitch for the changes in their presentation to the parliamentary standing committee on law and justice.

Today’s meeting also holds significance as Anna had recently threatened to launch another hunger strike if a strong Lokpal Bill is not passed in the Winter Session of Parliament. However, the government hit back saying it saw no reason for such threats and reiterated its commitment for a strong ombudsman.
on Lokpal

Team Anna meeting underway, rejig possible

Amid indications that Team Anna is going for a complete rejig, the core group is meeting here in Ghaziabad on Saturday at the office of Arvind Kejriwal-headed Public Cause Research Foundation (PCRF).

The meeting is likely to discuss the crisis facing the team after it enmeshed in a series of controversies involving key members like Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi as well as the resignation of two prominent activists Rajinder Singh and PV Rajagopal, who cited the political turn taken by Hazare's anti-corruption movement as the reason for leaving the movement.

The meeting will also discuss the future course of action by the team amidst a renewed attack on Hazare by Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh, who alleged that the Gandhian's anti-corruption agitation was part of an over-all plan of RSS-BJP to divert attention from right-wing terror.

Anna Hazare -- who is on a vow of silence since October 16 won’t attend the meeting -- will remain in touch on phone through his personal secretary. Besides Hazare, prominent member Justice Santosh Hegde, Medha Patkar and Kumar Vishwas are also not attending the Core Committee meeting. Hegde cited a “prior commitment” in Mumbai for not attending the meet.

Earlier yesterday, Kumar Vishwas, a prominent member shot off a letter to Hazare demanding suspension of the core committee and sought its expansion to make it more representative.

"Such attacks (against Team Anna members) and the subsequent clarifications will strengthen the conspiracy to divert the attention from the key issues...I request you to give greater representation to the Core Committee consisting of limited members and turn it into a hard-core committee comprising of 121 crore people.

“I once again urge you to suspend the present core committee and create a new system to enable us to see a corruption-free new India," Vishwas said in his letter to the Gandhian.

He said the leaders of the ruling party were targeting Hazare and each member of the core committee and trying to tarnish their public image and credibility.

Anna disowns Prashant Bhushan’s Kashmir remark

Anna Hazare today distanced himself from Prashant Bhushan on the issue of plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was not the team's stand and the lawyer-activist was airing his personal views.

"Prashant 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," Hazare told reporters here.

"We didn't like this (statement). It is not our view," he said.

Bhushan had triggered a controversy by supporting the idea of holding plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir following which he was attacked by three youths belonging to a right-wing group two days ago.

Hazare said Kashmir is 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."

The 74-year-Gandhian said Prashant Bhushan should seek permission for airing views on behalf of the team. "But for personal comments, what is the need for permission," he said.

Asked whether Prashant Bhushan, a key member of the team who was also a member of the joint committee to draft Lokpal bill, will be removed from the team, Hazare said it has to be decided later.

"The points he has made are not good. We will decide in future whether we will keep him or not," he said.

He made these comments shortly after meeting noted RTI activist and his close associate Arvind Kejriwal, who came to his village to discuss the recent attack on his supporters and noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan for his provocative remarks on Kashmir.

It is to be noted lawyer Prashant Bhushan was attacked inside his chamber in the Supreme Court on Thursday by three youths allegedly belonging to Sri Ram Sene and Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena for his allegedly provocative remarks on Kashmir.

Prashant Bhushan had recently suggested in Varanasi that a plebiscite could be held for finding a perfect political solution for Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Team Anna members have voiced their concerns for bringing a special new law with tougher penalty to deal with sponsored violence in view of attacks on Prashant Bhushan and the Gandhian’s supporters in police presence.

Five supporters of Anna Hazare were on Thursday attacked by some workers of the Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena outside the Patiala House court here.

Team Anna blames 'why the government took a U-turn on the issues'

 Team Anna feels that the Congress is divided over the Jan Lokpal Bill and believes that the party's internal politics forced the Government to take a U-turn. The Government called Team Anna at 1 am, said sources, and invited them for another round of talks on Today, after Wednesday night's talks ended on a bitter note.

Arvind Kejriwal on Today squarely blamed Union Ministers Kapil Sibal and P Chidambaram for the breakdown.

"Sibal and Chidambaram strongly opposed the talks process. Perhaps that is why the government took a U-turn on the issues we had (earlier) agreed upon," Kejriwal said.

"We have become victims of internal politics of Congress. How many rounds of talks we have had with senior leaders like Kapil Sibal and Chidambaram but nothing has happened till now. Whom will we talk to?," he added.

The Government, after an all-party meet on Wednesday, said that parliamentary procedures can't be bypassed.

The Centre seemed to have hardened its stand during Wednesday night's talks with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee saying that due consideration would be given to Anna Hazare's Jan Lokpal Bill, echoing the resolution passed by an all-party meeting on Wednesday evening. "It's back to square one," said Kiran Bedi after the meeting.

Sources said if the Government doesn't agree, Team Anna will have no choice but to intensify its agitation.

Anna Hazare's is said to be feeling fine even as his fast enters the tenth day on Thursday.

He told supporters to continue protesting peacefully and to court arrest if he is forcibly taken to hospital.

But Delhi's Police Commissioner has allayed those apprehensions and said Anna Hazare would be taken out of the Ramlila Maidan only if the doctors attending to him advised hospitalisation.

Earlier, at the all-party meeting held at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's 7 Race Course Road residence on Wednesday afternoon, the Government offered to make changes in the Lokpal Bill it has tabled in Parliament. But the entire Opposition wants the Government to withdraw its bill.

However, the Government said that there is no need for the withdrawal of the bill.

The Government has agreed that an amended Lokpal Bill will be tabled in Parliament but has refused to give any timeline for the final bill. The final bill will contain amendments suggested by Team Anna or any other group and the Prime Minister will be brought under the Lokpal's ambit.

The Lokpal will replace the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as the investigation agency for corruption cases and a citizens' charter will be included for redressal.

But two main sticking points remain: Lokayuktas for all states and inclusion of lower bureaucracy under the Lokpal.

Team Anna putting words in my mouth: Pranab

Accusing Team Anna of "distorting" facts about the meetings to resolve the Lokpal issue, the government on late Wednesday night said Parliamentary processes cannot be bypassed and the same was made clear to the activists after considering their proposals.

Rebutting the charge by Team Anna that there was a dramatic change in government's "tone" at the latest round of talks, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said Team Anna had made certain demands at an earlier meeting with government representatives.

"Today, I informed them that government considered these proposals and it is not possible to do it," he told.

Mukherjee said Team Anna had demanded that the government Lokpal Bill will be withdrawn and the Jan Lokpal bill be introduced, it should not go through the Standing Committee and Parliament pass it within the Monsoon session.

Now that this distorted view has come, neither there is question of going back to square one nor there is change in government's attitude because if the government would have changed its attitude, there was no reason of resuming dialogue since yesterday," he said.

Mukherjee said he had told the activists that the Parliamentary Standing Committee can consider and make any amendments it wants and the process of Committee will be expedited and put on fast track.

Asked about Team Anna's remarks that Mukherjee had told them that Hazare's health condition was not the government's concern, the minister said, "They are putting words in my mouth.

"I am repeatedly making appeal (to Hazare to end his fast). I made the appeal yesterday, I made appeal today," the minister said. 

Chairman of UIDAI Nilekani said Lokpal is no magic bullet

Urging Team Anna not to look for quick-fix solutions to corruption, chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India Nandan Nilekani said that while the concerns and anger of the agitating public were legitimate, their methods and goal were not.

In an interview to Nilekani said that the Lokpal Bill was not a “magic bullet” that would eliminate corruption in the country. It could, at best, serve as one of several measures needed to tackle corruption in a holistic manner.

 He said, “I am not a great believer that if you pass a law, corruption will miraculously vanish. Nor do I think that creating a huge army of policemen will reduce corruption. You have to go back and look at the systems. I have spent 30-35 years working on how to make large systems work. You have to fundamentally analyse and improve the systems themselves. This (Lokpal law) is just one of the many many things that we need to do. I don’t think that it (Lokpal) is the only thing we should be doing.”

“I fully endorse the fact that they want to address the problem of corruption but I think they should look at it in a much more strategic holistic manner and not by just passing a law. This is absolutely uni-dimensional,” he said.

Efforts to undermine supremacy of Parliament and elected representatives in legislative matters were “extremely dangerous and completely wrong.