Anna Hazare launches indefinite fast for Jan Lokpal Bill
Ignoring Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s plea, noted social worker Anna Hazare began his fast-unto-death here on Tuesday in demand of a strong anti-corruption bill with civil society participation in its making and rejected any attempts to console him with ?fake assurances?.
Hazare began his fast at Jantar Mantar as common people vocal against corruption poured in to support him.
Earlier on Monday, the Prime Minister had urged him to desist from his planned fast-unto-death in demand of enactment of Jan Lokpal Bill to curb the menace.
?This is second freedom struggle. Everyone would be on the streets. Gandhiji had given similar call in 1942 for the British to quit,” said Hazare ahead of his fast.
The veteran social activist said his repeated attempts to extract a concrete assurance from the prime minister on the enactment and implementation of the bill had failed, making him undertake the fasting route.
He warned the government that ?fake assurances? will not make him quit the fast-unto-death programme he has launched.
Hazare repeated the demand for civil society participation in drafting the bill, stating that after the recent scams people have lost faith in the politicians and bureaucrats.
?I will observe fast-unto-death till the government agrees to form a joint committee comprising 50 per cent officials and the remaining citizens and intellectuals to draft the Jan Lokpal Bill,? he said.
?If the government alone drafts this bill, it will be autocratic not democratic, there will be discrepancies,? Hazare added.
Meanwhile, Opposition political parties have thrown their support behind the veteran social activist.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while urging Hazare to call off his fast, said the government must act swiftly to regain its lost credibility.
?The BJP wants that the Lok Pal Bill must become an important instrument of credible and effective action against corruption and both political leaders and bureaucrats must be covered with in its ambit. It is equally important that action in this regard must not be delayed,? the BJP said in a statement.
?The government must undertake a dialogue with the activists and an All Party Meeting must be called to take prompt steps in this regard,? it added.
Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav, also backed the Lokpal Bill as a means to fight corruption.
?Just as Election Commission and Supreme Court are effective bodies, similarly an institution which is to fight corruption has to be equally powerful. I approve of the draft prepared by Hazareji and others. I am willing to back it in Parliament,? Yadav, who visited Hazare, said.
A Lokpal means an ombudsman to root out corruption at high places in the Indian polity.
The Lokpal Bill (Ombudsman Bill), 2010 is now awaiting a select parliamentary committee’s ascent.
The law can allow filing complaints of corruption against the Prime Minister, ministers and all lawmakers.
But Hazare and his associates demand a Jan Lokpal Bill (Public Ombudsman Bill) drafted by them, incorporating the opinions and suggestions of the common people.
Under the banner of India Against Corruption, retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi and social worker Swami Agnivesh have teamed up with Hazare who has been advocating for the Jan Lokpal Bill, pointing that institutions like Lokpal and Lokayukta are better placed to investigate corruption charges against politicians since the government investigating bodies are controlled by politicians and hence, cannot function independently.
In Mumbai people walked from Shivaji Park to Azad Maidan and joined a rally where thousands participated. Young people participated in large number.
Sir, It is humbly submitted that the retired officers services be utilised to open the loopholes of their departmental burried irregularities best known to them but remain helpless on looker and pass on in a routine way inevitbly.He can be entrusted with specific cases of irregularities in that department that can be probed and identified by that retired officer which may help to establish the prmafacia cases with evidence.ALL THIS CAN BE GOT DONE WITHOUT EXTRA FINANCIAL COMMITMENT.Some such cases examples are (1) Letting off the big contractors without recovery of INCOMTAX to be deducted at source i.e while making payment to the contractors or even recovered I.T as an eye wash is being refunded to the contractors without remitting to the Incme Tax department subsequently with malified intention and thus extending the unintended benefit at the cost of Exchequer inlieu of illegal gratifications.This may run in several crores of rupees.(2)Boosting of estmations of works by providing absolutely unnecessary type of works such as providing foundation items for purely repair works for repiairing canals etc.(3)Granting HIGHER rates for items such as removing sand and other soils and removing garbage in the alignments.(4)Paying higher rates to the contractors in respect of works for which not provided/not approved by higher authorities.This is only speck of the collasal fire and not exhaustive The services of retired competent officers by prior identifying them by the competent authority in the proposed machinery of th JAN LOKPAL to be directly submitted by the already identified retired officer after examining his antecedents etc. This is submitted by a retired officer– VANKA.APPARAO,D4 VAMSI APARTMENTS JAGANNADHAPURAM AKKYYAPALEM P.O VISAKHAPATNAM PIN 530016 ANDHRA PRADESH My Email address ——-apparao.vanka@gmail.com
Indians should stop living materialistic life and stand together for this noble cause. This is the time to distinguish and realise who is good and who is evil. I sincerely support this mass movement. CBI Raid–Cricket, etc such news is eyewash and can fool only materialistic people. As educated citizens we are keeping a watch at Jan Lokpal Bill… nothing can divert our attention from Mr.Hazare. Students and Advocates are with you. Media is not playing its role which we are taking note of their role, should be ashamed of themselves if they cant do their duty sincerely. An honest man can defeat thousand of evil and corrupt men… A mass movement is on its way. During this assembly elections in various states, Government may come out with compromise formula to ditch the public. They might use their real power person to announce somthing to get sympathy for themself and to show that PM is helpless and they are real administrator and care for General public moreover, they corruption free by keeping mum from time to time. Congress and DMK will loos in next elections badly and the opposition parties should note that if they don’t support Hazareji .even they will not get our votes in elections and you cant buy our votes by money power Sonia.
Bharat Swabhiman would get support and we would elect candidates
fielded by Bharat Swabhiman .
Let salute Hazare ji ,Dr. Kiran Bedi, Yog Rishi Baba Ramdev, Sri Sri ravi Shankar, Swami Agnivesh, Ram Jethmalani, Mr Kejriwal etc who have stood up against corruption are real heroes.
Jai Hind!!!
I feel very strongly regarding corruption in our country.
I hope and pray for a better tomorrow.
I also hope that the idea of a simple, but regular meditation in my following article will be well received and implemented by our leaders:
It is believed, that 20% of our populace is honest.
The task before us, who are deeply concerned about the common man, and about the neglect of his problems by the authorities, is to revitalize and motivate this upright, honest multitude to take up causes, and to be firm footed, persistent and steadfast in pursuing the goals of integrity of character, charitable disposition, and constancy and consistency.
Therefore, a few minutes of unsophisticated, secular, regular, and sustained daily meditation must be facilitated in every government and private office, factory, school, college, etc., in order that our citizenry gets the opportunity to reflect on the dignity and sanctity of the human being, and to ponder over the inviolability of the dignity and sanctity of man.
Such a focused, constant and consistent meditation will re-awaken, further motivate and increase the grit and spiritual strength of the already existing honest multitudes, making them better and better guiding lights for all others.
Such meditation will, if persisted in, may, God-willing, also reform the intransigent, hard hearted people.
After all, every man endeavors to live happily and well.
Also, every man expects good behavior from others towards him. This is his innate nature – an instinct – due to the natural, universal inclination to promote the inviolability of the sanctity of ones own life, and the sanctity of all that contributes to its fulfillment.
In other words, fundamentally speaking, the individual has, by nature, the capacity to learn good behavior towards human kind, by obviously reflecting on his own fundamental, natural, essential aspirations, and his expectation of other people to behave kindly towards him
Sustained meditation awakens and cultivates this natural learning process, thereby promoting honesty and sincerity.
Through constant reflection, a person will understand that personal depravity (obscene acts), as well as uncharitable behavior towards others runs contrary to the Sanctity of the Human Being.
The acute concern for human life thus generated, will make us tread with caution, lest we hurt others in any manner whatsoever.
Therefore, as a result of regular, sustained reflection, gained by the compulsory, ritual like meditation, even as the gradual but sure reformation begins to take place, people will be seeking better and better ways to make life less and less cumbersome. Thus science will develop in the right direction, and harmless technology will be given precedence. Cheap commercialization and politicization of science and technology, and gross exploitation of the people in the name of religion, politics, scientific progress, et al, will cease.
Narrow divides will begin to be widely despised, and the universal precept of the Inviolability of Human Life will be increasingly prioritized and promoted.
Solutions to all our problems basically depend on recognizing the primacy of the human being and concentrating on the welfare of humanity.
I fervently hope that the present agitation by spearheaded by Anna Hazare succeeds.
YADA YADA HI DHARMASYE, GLANI BHAVATI BHARATA, ABHYUDHAMAM ADHARMASYA, TADHATAMAYE SUJAHMAMYAHAM. Whenever sinners starts thriving on Earth, God reborn as Rama, Krishna, Mahatma Gandhi, Jay Prakash Narayan, Vinoba Bhave, Anna Hazare etc…and protects Human Beings. It’s duty of all Indians to stand up against Sinners and Corrupts and support Anna Hazare for Lokpal Bill. BHARAT MATA ki JAI.