The Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption (IAC) movement on Thursday rejected the Lok Pal and Lokayukta Bill, and demanded a redraft.
Arvind Kejriwal said the Bill seemed to be fighting the people rather than corruption, as it leaves out the bulk of politicians and bureaucrats from its ambit, and had no investigative powers or control over the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). He said the government’s stand on the proposed ombudsman was much better before Anna Hazare began his agitation in April on the issue.
IAC has intensified effort to get a site for the three-day fast planned by Hazare in Mumbai by filing a petition in the high court there, seeking a concession in municipal charges for the venue. Devinder Sharma, a core committee member of IAC, said while it was true that the Uttar Pradesh Lokayukta — even without investigative powers — was able to send five ministers out of office, it was equally true that the Lokayukta in Punjab had not been able to get any results, despite several orders. “The Lokayukta is helpless if the government does not wish to heed. That is why we are insisting on investigative powers and control over the CBI.”
| ON THE MENU The Food Security Bill, which was tabled in the House on Thursday, has been referred to a standing committee. So, what are the Bill’s aims? |
| * Legal entitlement of cheap grain to 75% of rural and 50% of urban population |
| * 46% of rural and 28% of urban populace to be classified as priority, rest will fall under general |
| * Priority-category beneficiary to get 7 kg of grain a month: rice at Rs 3 a kg; wheat at Rs 2 a kg; coarse grain at Rs 1 a kg; General-category beneficiary to get 3-4 kg of grain a month: Prices to be 50% of MSP |
| * Hike annual grain procurement to 60-65 mts |
While churches, temples and mosques would come under the Lok Pal, and almost all social organisations would be covered, Group C and D workers — about six million — would be covered by the CVC, which would not be accountable to the Lok Pal. The CVC, with 288 officials, was incapable of dealing with such a huge number of people, Kejriwal said.
Soon after the government’s redone Bill was introduced in Lok Sabha, Hazare said at his Ralegan Siddhi village in Maharashtra that the legislation was “very weak and useless”.
“Why is the Government scared of giving away the CBI? If the CBI is under Lok Pal, they fear that there will be a line of ministers going to jail.”
He challenged Congress party president Sonia Gandhi to a public debate on the Bill. “Sonia Gandhi says the Bill is strong. If it is so, let her come out and debate with us in front of the media. Let people see it. Let us have a face-to-face debate. Convince the people of the country that it is strong. We will explain how it is not strong.”
The National Campaign for Peoples’ Right to Information (NCPRI), which has been critical of aspects of the IAC campaign for the Lok Pal, on Thursday reiterated their criticism of the government Bill, as being too weak. “The Bill can be improved if it was given control over CBI,” said Venkatesh Nayak, co-convenor of NCPRI.
But the body did not object to bringing non-government bodies under the Lok Pal, said Nayak. He objected to the fact that the CVC would be saddled with Group C and D of the bureaucracy.
The Bill indeed requires a lot of improvement if it is to have any impact in the fight against corruption, he added
