Changes must to make government Bill strong, says Team Anna

New Delhi, December 27, 2011(Tehelkanews)

Team Anna on Monday said the four amendments in the Lokpal and Lokayukta Bill, 2011, suggested by them, were absolutely necessary to make the anti-corruption ombudsman "strong and independent." It warned that corruption would be an issue in the coming elections in five States."Without the changes, the Lokpal Bill will be meaningless," Team Anna member and lawyer Prashant Bhushan said after a meeting of their core committee.The Lok Sabha is to debate the Bill on Tuesday with several political parties expected to move amendments to the government draft.

Announcing a three-day relay fast on Ramlila Maidan here in support of social activist Anna Hazare\'s three-day hunger strike in Mumbai from Tuesday, Mr. Bhushan said if the suggested amendments were carried out in Parliament, they would call off their jail bharo agitation from December 30.The fast on Ramlila Maidan would be led by the core committee members from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with huge LED screens playing the debate in Parliament as well as Mr. Hazare\'s fast. More than 1.25 lakh people have reportedly volunteered to go to jail to press for a strong anti-corruption legislation. Mr. Hazare had declared that he himself would sit on dharna outside the residence of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on December 30.

Central to their suggestion for amendments to the Bill was the merger of the investigation wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation with the Lokpal and of the anti-corruption bureaus and state vigilance departments with State Lokayuktas with administrative and financial control over them. If not, there should be independent investigation mechanism in the Lokpal and Lokayuktas to make them strong and independent entities. This provision was there in the previous draft Lokpal Bill, 2011, Team Anna said.



Letter to Manmohan In an open letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and all MPs, Mr. Hazare and his team have said that as recommended by the Standing Committee, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas must be able to suo motu initiate their own investigation into a complaint of corruption without alerting the accused through preliminary enquiry or hearing.The selection of the Lokpal should be through a "broad-based" panel, than the all-political one suggested in the Bill that was tabled in Parliament. Likewise, the search committee, which would assist the selection committee, should also be representative with experts on it and the procedure detailed in the Bill.



The Lokpal and Lokayuktas\' jurisdiction should include class 'C\' and 'D\' officers directly, they said.Mr. Bhushan said, "Our four major suggestions and the 'sense of the House\' resolution [passed by Parliament in August] with regard to Group 'C\' and 'D\' employees and Citizen\'s Charter are absolutely necessary. Then we can live with the rest [not being accepted] for the time being, and continue to agitate for them.\'\'



Appeal to people

He appealed to citizens who were fed up with corruption and corrupt system to peacefully participate in the agitation "wherever they are." In case the government imposed prohibitory orders, then people should come prepared to go to jail."Let the government, MPs and Parliament be aware of where the people stand and what kind of law they want," he said.Reacting to the Chief Election Commissioner\'s remark that the Commission would "watch" Team Anna, as the Code of Conduct had come into force after the announcement of Assembly elections, he said: "I don\'t understand what the CEC means. Every citizen has the right to say what a particular politician has done or not done and that should be taken into consideration while voting."Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur go to the polls from January 28.


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