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‘Parliament panel has betrayed people with its Lokpal report’
Anna Hazare said on Friday that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Lokpal had not only betrayed the trust of people in the country, but had also “insulted” the Prime Minister, by not incorporating the letter of assurance given by the latter to him on the Ombudsman Bill.
Reacting to the Standing Committee report on Lokpal tabled in Rajya Sabha, Hazare said: “The Standing Committee has betrayed the trust reposed in it by the people in the country. It was not just Team Anna, but thousands of people who come out on streets to demand Jan Lokpal Bill. The Government has become deaf and is not listening to the voice of people. ..The Standing Committee report is not satisfactory.”
Commenting the dissent expressed by three Congress MPs, Hazare charged that it was “ploy” by the ruling party to “confuse” and “mislead” the people about its intent on the Lokpal Bill vetted by the Standing Committee. “Who are these three Congress MPs? Why did they express their dissent on the last day. They were Rahul Gandhi’s supporters. If these Congress MPs have chosen to express dissent (over the exclusion of Group C employees) it is because they wanted to create misunderstanding among the people.”
“The conduct of three MPs raises doubts in our mind. The Standing Committee has betrayed us. We hope that the Parliament will not betray us in a similar way,” Hazare said, talking to a regional television channel in his home village of Ralegan Siddhi.
Dubbing the Parliamentary standing committee’s move not to incorporate in its report the assurances given by him Manmohan Singh as an “insult” to the office of Prime Minister, Hazare said: “The Prime Minister himself wrote to me saying that he has passed on a copy of assurances given to me by him, to the Standing Committee. Why has the Standing Committee not bothered to incorporate the PM’s assurances to me in the Lokpal Bill. That is insult to the highest office of Prime Minister. It is also a shame on our democracy.”
Replying to a question, Hazare said that since the Parliament had already passed a resolution on the issues of Citizens’ Charter, setting up of Lokayuktas in States and bringing bureaucracy under the ambit of Lokpal, there was no need for MPs to discuss these three issues in both the Houses of Parliament once again. The MPs should discuss other issues relating to Lokpal when the Bill comes up for passage in both the Houses of Parliament.”
Hazare said that in the event of Parliament falling short time to pass the Lokpal during the Winter Session of Lok Sabha, the Government should extend the session by another 9 to 10 days, taking into account the fact that no was business was transacted for that many days owing to disruptions.
He said that after his day-long fast at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on December 11, he would undertake tour of south Indian cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. “After my tour of southern States, I will come to Delhi where I will go on fast at Ramlila Maidan from December 27.”
Hazare said that a few days after his Ramlila Maidan fast, he would set off on a tour of five Assembly poll-bound States, where he would campaign against the Congress for coming in the way of a strong Lokpal Bill.
“I am going to five States to tell people that the Congress has betrayed them by impeding of the passage of Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament,” he said.
“Even after the Assembly polls in five States, the social awareness campaign against corruption will be on till the 2014 general elections when I will undertaken campaign once again and target the Congress,” Hazare said.
Asked as to why he would target the Congress even in the 2014 polls, Hazare asked: “Why should I not campaign against the Congress that ruined the country and that has no will to root out corruption in the country?”
Anna Hazare said on Friday that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Lokpal had not only betrayed the trust of people in the country, but had also “insulted” the Prime Minister, by not incorporating the letter of assurance given by the latter to him on the Ombudsman Bill.
Reacting to the Standing Committee report on Lokpal tabled in Rajya Sabha, Hazare said: “The Standing Committee has betrayed the trust reposed in it by the people in the country. It was not just Team Anna, but thousands of people who come out on streets to demand Jan Lokpal Bill. The Government has become deaf and is not listening to the voice of people. ..The Standing Committee report is not satisfactory.”
Commenting the dissent expressed by three Congress MPs, Hazare charged that it was “ploy” by the ruling party to “confuse” and “mislead” the people about its intent on the Lokpal Bill vetted by the Standing Committee. “Who are these three Congress MPs? Why did they express their dissent on the last day. They were Rahul Gandhi’s supporters. If these Congress MPs have chosen to express dissent (over the exclusion of Group C employees) it is because they wanted to create misunderstanding among the people.”
“The conduct of three MPs raises doubts in our mind. The Standing Committee has betrayed us. We hope that the Parliament will not betray us in a similar way,” Hazare said, talking to a regional television channel in his home village of Ralegan Siddhi.
Dubbing the Parliamentary standing committee’s move not to incorporate in its report the assurances given by him Manmohan Singh as an “insult” to the office of Prime Minister, Hazare said: “The Prime Minister himself wrote to me saying that he has passed on a copy of assurances given to me by him, to the Standing Committee. Why has the Standing Committee not bothered to incorporate the PM’s assurances to me in the Lokpal Bill. That is insult to the highest office of Prime Minister. It is also a shame on our democracy.”
Replying to a question, Hazare said that since the Parliament had already passed a resolution on the issues of Citizens’ Charter, setting up of Lokayuktas in States and bringing bureaucracy under the ambit of Lokpal, there was no need for MPs to discuss these three issues in both the Houses of Parliament once again. The MPs should discuss other issues relating to Lokpal when the Bill comes up for passage in both the Houses of Parliament.”
Hazare said that in the event of Parliament falling short time to pass the Lokpal during the Winter Session of Lok Sabha, the Government should extend the session by another 9 to 10 days, taking into account the fact that no was business was transacted for that many days owing to disruptions.
He said that after his day-long fast at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on December 11, he would undertake tour of south Indian cities like Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. “After my tour of southern States, I will come to Delhi where I will go on fast at Ramlila Maidan from December 27.”
Hazare said that a few days after his Ramlila Maidan fast, he would set off on a tour of five Assembly poll-bound States, where he would campaign against the Congress for coming in the way of a strong Lokpal Bill.
“I am going to five States to tell people that the Congress has betrayed them by impeding of the passage of Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament,” he said.
“Even after the Assembly polls in five States, the social awareness campaign against corruption will be on till the 2014 general elections when I will undertaken campaign once again and target the Congress,” Hazare said.
Asked as to why he would target the Congress even in the 2014 polls, Hazare asked: “Why should I not campaign against the Congress that ruined the country and that has no will to root out corruption in the country?”
