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The Fight for the Jan LokPal Bill
Who says Mahatma Gandhi’s principles are outdated and not relevant after these have been proved effective by Martin Luther King Jr. Nelson Mandela and recently Kisan Baburao Hazare popularly known as Anna Hazare who hails from a village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra? The fact remains that he is not an unknown personality in his home state since in 1992 he was conferred the Padmabhushan, the nation’s second highest civilian award by the Government of India for his success in transforming his native village Relegan Siddhi into a model village. 18 years back, nobody would have dreamt that the social activist living in a 10 X 10 feet room would become a role model for the entire nation.
Like thousands of people belonging to all castes and communities who have pledged support to his cause for reforming the social and political life, he had no opportunity of seeing or receiving blessings from the Father of the Nation.
It will not be factual however to say that he has initiated the movement against corruption in India involving influential and moneyed people who commit offences with impunity and are seldom put on trial. Ever since the 2 Generation Spectrum, the CWG and the Adarsh Housing Scams came to the public domain courtesy the media, several social activists including the country’s first woman IPS Officer Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and other RTI activists came to the street and utilized social networking to mobilize the masses to fight against corruption in the administration involving our social life. However, the joining of the movement and an indefinite fast unto death by 72- year-old Anna Hazare at the Jantar Mantar in Luyten’s Delhi dramatically galvanized the agitation. He declared it a do or die battle.He would not break his fast until and unless the Government came out officially to appoint Jan LokPal with much wider power and authority to investigate and punish those who are found guilty of corruption. These include Members of Parliament, Union Ministers and the judiciary involving judges many of whom including some retired Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of India are being accused of amassing enormous wealth through corrupt practices. Who will punish them since several political parties are beholden to them for mobilizing funds and donation?
The soft spoken and diminutive confirmed bachelor leading a Spartan life immediately won the heart of the nation when he had the temerity to reject the fervent appeal made by the UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to break his fast and assured him that the government would consider his demand. He asked for a government notification on the appointment of an apolitical Lokpal and not mere assurance. Thousands of people joined him, several of whom went on indefinite fasts along with him in the makeshift camp at Jantar Mantar. In the evenings, there were silent candlelight processions by college and school students along with adults pledging support to his cause. It was heartening to see the youngsters taking part in the crusade against corruption in large numbers.
The Government, whose image is going down the drain among the masses due to its inaction in tackling corrupt people was rattled and issued a notification in its Gazette on the composition of a ten-member panel consisting five from the Government’s side and an equal number from civil society. However, inclusion of noted lawyers Shanti Bhushan and Prasnant Bhushan, his son, is being criticized in several quarters .The father and son duo has fought corruption in the judiciary through PILs over the years. It is being argued rightly that there should be persons with legal backgrounds on the Drafting Committee. Were no such people available apart from the duo? However, people are not seeing anything wrong in the appointment of just one of the duo while questions are being raised as to who both of them have been included in the Drafting Committee.
It regretted that after the composition of the Drafting Committee, stories are being planted allegedly by the AICC quoting unnamed sources criticizing the crusader and his demands which have been accepted by the Government. He is for transparency about the functioning of the deliberations in the Drafting Committee and is pleading for video graphing the deliberations. It is for the Committee to decide on his plea. The pertinent question here is - Why is the AICC unduly agitated over his suggestion on video graphing of the proceedings?
If one goes through the Jan LokPal Bill to be drafted by June 30 and presented to the Monsoon Session Parliament as promised by the Union Minister for Finance Pranab Mukherjee, it is revealed that it intends to subsume the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) which is indirectly under the Government of India and is dependent on it for the payment of staff, office expenses and all allowances. The Jan LokPal Bill as envisaged by the civil society will also bring under the scanner political leaders and officials as well as the judiciary. It should be empowered to investigate and file First Information Reports (FIRs) besides having judicial powers and the power to conduct trials and judicial hearing. The Bill should be approved by the two House of Parliament—the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Apart from rumblings among some Congress leaders, Mohan Singh (Samajwadi Party) and former Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh of the RJD headed by Laloo Prasad have expressed reservation. It is hoped that the Jan LokPal bill will not meet the same fate of the Women’s Reservation Bill due to opposition from the same circles.
Here, it will be wise to recall what Anna Hazare has said; “If the bill is not passed by the deadline, a nationwide movement will be re-launched with grater vigor.”
P.K. Chakravarty
