New Delhi:
Anna Hazare, the man who successfully led the anti-corruption crusade for a Lokpal Bill, had to clarify after reports emerged that there is disagreement among some panel members over the constitution of the committee which will now draft the bill.
"I heard some reports that there are differences among the committee members. Baba Ramdev said that Kiran Bedi should have been a part of the committee and this fuelled the report of differences. But I clarify that Ms Bedi had already declared that she won't be a member of this committee. And no one objected," Mr Anna Hazare said while addressing mediapersons on Sunday. (Watch)
The panel as well as Baba Ramdev has one aim - development of the nation, he added.
Mr Hazare also said, "The committee is not permanent, it has been formed only for two months and we should not think that he or she is there or not there. We need experienced people because the law should be stringent, and law experts have been kept on it, and that was the whole reason I did not want to be on it," Anna Hazare told reporters here.
Baba Ramdev, one of those behind the campaign, had on Saturday questioned the presence of Shanti Bhushan and his son Prashant Bhushan on the panel, leading to reports of cracks among the crusaders.
"I spoke to Kiran (Bedi) ji and will talk to Anna ji as people of the country are raising the issue that why nepotism has come in the five-member (civil society) committee which is representing the 121 crore population of the country," Baba Ramdev had said.
But on Sunday, Baba Ramdev backtracked saying, "There is some misunderstanding with regard to the bill. I just want to say one thing - I have nothing to do with 'nepotism' (vanshavad) which media just created."
Playing down the controversy, RTI activist and Jan Lokpal Bill drafting committee member Arvind Kejriwal said that Baba had some misunderstanding which had been sorted out.
The government-civil society joint drafting committee came about after Mr Hazare went on a "fast-unto-death" on April 5 demanding that the government introduce a bill to tackle corruption immediately, and that politicians alone not be in charge of drafting that bill. The government agreed to most of his demands. (Read: Who is Anna Hazare?)
The veteran activist admitted that he could not fathom that the movement led by him would generate such a massive nationwide support.
"I had no idea this agitation would turn out to be as big as it did... and the nationwide support we got. I wanted to do it in Maharashtra but Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal insisted that I hold the fast-unto-death in New Delhi", said Mr Hazare.
It took the 72-year-old Gandhian almost 98 hours of fasting to accomplish every point of an agenda that seemed preposterously ambitious when the week began. Till India pitched in, expressing its solidarity with rallies around Mr Hazare's cause.
The government has agreed that the panel that will draft the Lokpal Bill will include five representatives of civil society, including Mr Hazare, and five ministers. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be the Chairman of the panel; and former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, who has been picked by Mr Hazare, will be the co-Chairman. (What is Jan Lokpal Bill?)
Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and Minister for Minority Affairs Salman Khursheed will be the other government representatives on the panel.
Besides Shanti Bhushan, those representing civil society on the panel will be Anna Hazare himself, eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan, retired Supreme Court Judge Santosh Hegde and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal.
In a statement, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the coming together of civil society and government on the Lokpal Bill issue as "a step that augurs well for democracy", saying it signifies the mutual resolve to combat corruption.
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"I heard some reports that there are differences among the committee members. Baba Ramdev said that Kiran Bedi should have been a part of the committee and this fuelled the report of differences. But I clarify that Ms Bedi had already declared that she won't be a member of this committee. And no one objected," Mr Anna Hazare said while addressing mediapersons on Sunday. (Watch)
The panel as well as Baba Ramdev has one aim - development of the nation, he added.
Mr Hazare also said, "The committee is not permanent, it has been formed only for two months and we should not think that he or she is there or not there. We need experienced people because the law should be stringent, and law experts have been kept on it, and that was the whole reason I did not want to be on it," Anna Hazare told reporters here.
Baba Ramdev, one of those behind the campaign, had on Saturday questioned the presence of Shanti Bhushan and his son Prashant Bhushan on the panel, leading to reports of cracks among the crusaders.
"I spoke to Kiran (Bedi) ji and will talk to Anna ji as people of the country are raising the issue that why nepotism has come in the five-member (civil society) committee which is representing the 121 crore population of the country," Baba Ramdev had said.
But on Sunday, Baba Ramdev backtracked saying, "There is some misunderstanding with regard to the bill. I just want to say one thing - I have nothing to do with 'nepotism' (vanshavad) which media just created."
Playing down the controversy, RTI activist and Jan Lokpal Bill drafting committee member Arvind Kejriwal said that Baba had some misunderstanding which had been sorted out.
The government-civil society joint drafting committee came about after Mr Hazare went on a "fast-unto-death" on April 5 demanding that the government introduce a bill to tackle corruption immediately, and that politicians alone not be in charge of drafting that bill. The government agreed to most of his demands. (Read: Who is Anna Hazare?)
The veteran activist admitted that he could not fathom that the movement led by him would generate such a massive nationwide support.
"I had no idea this agitation would turn out to be as big as it did... and the nationwide support we got. I wanted to do it in Maharashtra but Kiran Bedi, Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal insisted that I hold the fast-unto-death in New Delhi", said Mr Hazare.
It took the 72-year-old Gandhian almost 98 hours of fasting to accomplish every point of an agenda that seemed preposterously ambitious when the week began. Till India pitched in, expressing its solidarity with rallies around Mr Hazare's cause.
The government has agreed that the panel that will draft the Lokpal Bill will include five representatives of civil society, including Mr Hazare, and five ministers. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will be the Chairman of the panel; and former Law Minister Shanti Bhushan, who has been picked by Mr Hazare, will be the co-Chairman. (What is Jan Lokpal Bill?)
Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily, Home Minister P Chidambaram, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and Minister for Minority Affairs Salman Khursheed will be the other government representatives on the panel.
Besides Shanti Bhushan, those representing civil society on the panel will be Anna Hazare himself, eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan, retired Supreme Court Judge Santosh Hegde and RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal.
In a statement, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the coming together of civil society and government on the Lokpal Bill issue as "a step that augurs well for democracy", saying it signifies the mutual resolve to combat corruption.
Enter your comment on India Against Corruption here or upload your video comment here.
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