No political party has given written support to Jan Lokpal Bill: Medha Patkar

Social activist Medha Patkar, supporting the anti-corruption campaign of Anna Hazare, Tuesday said no political party had so far given their written support on the civil society's Jan Lokpal bill.

She also criticized writer Arundhati Roy for likening Hazare's movement to the Maoist movement, saying it was aimed at destabilising the country.

Patkar, in Bhopal to participate in the India Against Corruption's Madhya Pradesh chapter, asked about political parties' reaction to the Jan Lokpal bill, said, "No political party has given any written reaction on Jan Lokpal so far."

She also warned the parties on the issue. "But if the parties, who make manifestos and forget it after elections, such thinking is not going to work anymore. Now the time has come that the politicians who would be clean and support Jan Lokpal will only win and return to parliament."

She added no tainted politician should come to talk with Anna Hazare over the Lokpal issue.

However, she quickly added, "It is my personal opinion and the final decision should be taken by the core committee of Anna Hazare team."

Asked if the Manmohan Singh government entrusted the responsibility of talking to Hazare on former Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, she replied, "I always said that tainted politicians should not mediate in the issue, and for the government Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithiviraj Chavan is a better option than Vilasrao Deshmukh, as his image is clean so far."

Patkar criticised writer Arundhati Roy for her article in The Hindu in which she said Anna Hazare's movement and the Maoists' movement were similar and aimed to destabilize the country.

"I have respect for her, but here I beg to differ as Anna Hazare's movement is not to weaken democracy but to strengthen the constitution."

She also rubbished the claim of Arundhati Roy that the Ford Foundation and Coca-Cola'smoney had been used in the movement.

"So far as I know, no such money has been used in the movement, and till we are supporting it we will insure no such money can be used."

Reacting to the criticism of Hazare's movement by other social activists like Shabnam Hashmi, Udit Raj and Tushar Gandhi, Patkar said, "We have great respect for all of them and we have worked together on several issues, but in a country of 1.21 billion, people will criticize, and this had happened with Mahatma Gandhi's movements too," she added.

Later, the members of India Against Corruption led by Patkar thronged the offices of Congress and BJP demanding a strong Lokpal bill.

Source: 
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_no-political-party-has-given-written-support-to-jan-lokpal-bill-medha-patkar_1578986

Jan Lokpal movement echoes around the globe!

A group of Indian-Americans has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to meet the demands of social activist Anna Hazare by himself tabling the jan Lokpal Bill in the parliament.

    We hope you will take the call and retain the faith in parliament by yourself going ahead with tabling the jan Lokpal bill to end the deadlock. Whatever decisions you make today will be remembered in our history for generations to come

    -  said a petition submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Indian Embassy in Washington.

http://www.janlokpal.net/news/jan-lokpal-movement-echoes-around-the-globe

What is the Jan Lokpal Bill, why it's important

What is the Jan Lokpal Bill, why it's important

Source: http://indiaagainstcorruption.org/

The Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's ombudsman Bill) is a draft anti-corruption bill drawn up by prominent civil society activists seeking the appointment of a Jan Lokpal, an independent body that would investigate corruption cases, complete the investigation within a year and envisages trial in the case getting over in the next one year.

Drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde (former Supreme Court Judge and former Lokayukta of Karnataka), Prashant Bhushan (Supreme Court Lawyer) and Arvind Kejriwal (RTI activist), the draft Bill envisages a system where a corrupt person found guilty would go to jail within two years of the complaint being made and his ill-gotten wealth being confiscated. It also seeks power to the Jan Lokpal to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without government permission.

Retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi and other known people like Swami Agnivesh, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Anna Hazare and Mallika Sarabhai are also part of the movement, called India Against Corruption. Its website describes the movement as "an expression of collective anger of people of India against corruption. We have all come together to force/request/persuade/pressurize the Government to enact the Jan Lokpal Bill. We feel that if this Bill were enacted it would create an effective deterrence against corruption."

Anna Hazare, anti-corruption crusader, went on a fast-unto-death in April, demanding that this Bill, drafted by the civil society, be adopted. Four days into his fast, the government agreed to set up a joint committee with an equal number of members from the government and civil society side to draft the Lokpal Bill together. The two sides met several times but could not agree on fundamental elements like including the PM under the purview of the Lokpal. Eventually, both sides drafted their own version of the Bill.

The government has introduced its version in Parliament in this session. Team Anna is up in arms and calls the government version the "Joke Pal Bill." Anna Hazare declared that he would begin another fast in Delhi on August 16. Hours before he was to begin his hunger strike, the Delhi Police detained and later arrested him. There are widespread protests all over the country against his arrest.       

The website of the India Against Corruption movement calls the Lokpal Bill of the government an "eyewash" and has on it a critique of that government Bill.

A look at the salient features of Jan Lokpal Bill:

1. An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up

2. Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.

3. Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.

4. The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.

5. How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.

6. So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month's time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.

7. But won't the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won't be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.

8. What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.

9. What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.

10. It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide protection to those who are being victimized for raising their voice against corruption.