New Delhi:
Forty-eight hours after he began his hunger strike, Anna Hazare sent an iron-willed letter to the Prime Minister. In five points, he explained why he began what he describes as "his fast-unto-death", and why he is convinced that the government, despite its best assurances, is disinterested in introducing a new law as a remedy against corruption among politicians and bureaucrats.
"You say that your Group of Ministers are drafting the anti‐corruption law. Many of the members of this Group of Ministers have such a shady past that if effective anti-corruption systems had been in place, some of them would have been behind bars," Mr Hazare wrote.
Mr Hazare's fast centres around the fact that the government is not moving fast enough to introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's Ombudsman Bill) and that the committee in charge of drafting the bill consists entirely of politicians. Civil society must be represented too, he says.
Among the ministers assigned to develop the bill: Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal, Law Minister Veerappa Moily and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar. On Monday, Mr Hazare was reported to have said, "A minister like Sharad Pawar, who is known for possessing large amounts of land in Maharashtra, is heading a committee that will draft the bill." Mr Pawar tried to make light of the criticism today, saying "I would be happy to quit not just this Group of Ministers, but all Groups of Ministers."
Arvind Kejriwal, known for his work on the Right to Information Act, is also a key supporter of Mr Hazare's movement. "The PM refuses to set up a joint committee...he says our Group of Ministers will decide who will set up our anti-corruption law. Now the Group of Ministers include people like Sharad Pawar - he will draft our anti-corruption law! Moily - who drafted this weak law. Kapil Sibal - who does not see a scam in 2G. These are the people who are going to draft the anti-corruption draft of the country, isn't this an insult to the nation?" he said.
The thousands of people who are joining rallies across India in support of Mr Hazare are being careful to keep their distance from politicians who try to join the movement. A discerning crowd at Jantar Manatar in Delhi, where Mr Hazare is based, heckled Uma Bharti and Om Prakash Chautala as they tried to enter the demonstration area. Politicians are not welcome, they said, particularly those who may be tainted.
The government's version of the Lokpal Bill has been squarely rejected by Mr Hazare and his group of activists, who have united as an organization named India Against Corruption. (
indiaagainstcorruption.org). The group says that the bill continues to allow the government to decide which politicians and bureaucrats should be investigated - the Lokpal's institution at the centre, and a Lokayukta office in the state has no real independence or authority, they say. (
Read: Why Hazare, others oppose govt's Lokpal Bill 2010)
As Mr Hazare wrote to the Prime Minister today, "62 years after independence, we still do not have independent and effective anti‐corruption systems. Very weak versions of Lokpal Bill were presented in Parliament eight times in last 42 years. Even these weak versions were not passed by Parliament."