Lokpal draft too weak to deter corrupt: Anna Hazare-TNN Jul 29, 2011

Lokpal draft too weak to deter corrupt: Anna Hazare

Manjiri Damle, TNN Jul 29, 2011, 04.31am IST


PUNE: Social activist Anna Hazare said the Lokpal bill draft approved by the Cabinet on Thursday was so weak and ineffective that the corrupt would not be afraid of the watchdog and the poor would never get justice.

Speaking to TOI from his hometown Ralegan Siddhi, Hazare said he would go ahead with his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on August 16. "People of this country are convinced about the need of an effective Lokpal and they will support me. Now there will be no turning back and I will continue the fight till my last breath," he said.

Hazare said the draft had included only top officials above the rank of deputy commissioner in the ambit of Lokpal. "We want all government officials, from the lowest to the highest level, in the ambit. We've seen that elected representatives are hand in glove with low ranking officials when it comes to corruption. If these officials are not brought under Lokpal, there will be no control over the elected representatives. What is the use of having such a weak arrangement? It is as good as having nothing," he said.
Ads by Google


Hazare criticized the government's dominance in the nine-member committee that would select the Lokpal. "As per the government's draft, five of the nine members will be from the government. When the government will clearly have a majority, it will do anything it wants. The power to remove the Lokpal also vests with the government and not a Supreme Court judge or a five-member committee as suggested by the civil society. What will this achieve? Nothing! It is as good as having no Lokpal," he said.

The draft is also silent about having an autonomous and powerful Lokayukta on the lines of the Lokpal in every state. "We wanted this arrangement because unless we have powerful watchdogs at the state level, corruption cannot be curbed. The government has accepted only minor and less important suggestions made by the civil society. On the most important matters, the government has done what it wanted," he said.