Committed to Lokpal, Rahul tells Anna

Social activist Anna Hazare has written to Rahul Gandhi welcoming his "commitment" to get the Lokpal bill passed, to which the Congress vice president has responded by saying the party is committed to provide "an effective" Lokpal.

The letters by Hazare and Gandhi were released by the Congress Tuesday ahead of a debate on the Lokpal bill in the Rajya Sabha.

In his letter to Gandhi Sunday, Hazare said: "I welcome your commitment to passing the Lokpal and Lokayuktas bill in parliament. My request is that the issues which have been endorsed and recommended by the select committee on the bill are included in it."

"These points have been decided with consensus by all political parties who were part of the select committee," Hazare said.

Hazare also noted that if parliament makes an effort to improve the bill by including more effective suggestions, it will be in the interest of the common man.

"People of the country are waiting for an effective Lokpal," Hazare said.

He sent copies of the letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Minister of State for Personnel V. Narayanasamy and the chairman of the select committee of the Rajya Sabha, which went into the Lokpal issue.

Gandhi responded to Hazare Monday, saying it has given him "great encouragement".

"All of us are committed to provide people of this country an effective and strongest possible Lokpal system. We respect your role in this endeavour and are very grateful to you for your support," Gandhi said.

Hazare has led agitations which helped bring the Lokpal bill to the centrestage of public debate, and has, in the past, also disagreed with many of the proposals the government made on the bill.