Press release: Team Anna's referendum on Lokpal Bill

The verdict is out. The so called representatives have failed to represent their people. The electorate of the HRD minister Kapil Sibal has come out strongly against the provisions of the Lokpal Bill approved by the Cabinet.  The referendum conducted by team Anna in the Chandni Chowk Lok Sabha constituency reveals that the elected representatives are not voicing their electorate's wishes. Eighty five percent of the people surveyed in Sibal's constituency have opted in favor of the provisions proposed by team Anna.

4 lakh referendum forms were distributed in the constituency, of which 86 thousand forms have been collected till now. The referendum forms constituted of a questionnaire of 8 questions on components of the bill. The result of 72 thousands forms has been compiled, rest 14 thousand could not scanned as they got wet due to rains and will be done manually.

85 percent of the people surveyed agreed with team Anna's demand that if the citizen's charter is violated penalty should be imposed on the guilty officer and it should be paid to the citizen as compensation. Only 7 percent said penalties should not be there.

89 percent people supported team Anna's view that all govt officials should be brought within the jurisdiction of Lokpal. Only 4.6% said only senior officer should come under Lokpal. 85 percent people  agree that Lokayukta should be set up in each state through the same bill as demanded in the Janlokpal bill. 88 percent people say that the MPs' conduct in the parliament should be investigated by an independent Lokpal, not by committee of MPs as govt proposes. 86 percent people believe that the judiciary should also come under the Lokpal. On bringing PM in the ambit of Lokpal 82 percent people agree with team anna while 6 percent believe PM should not come under Lokpal as the govt has proposed.  84 percent people agree with team anna that power to dismiss a corrupt officer should lie with Lokpal and not with the minister of the concerned department as proposed in the govt's bill. On the question how the MPs should vote for the Lokpal Bill people 83 percent opined that the MP should vote according to the wishes of the people that emerge out of this referendum.

Seeing these results the question arises, does Mr Kapil Sibal still represent the people of his constituency?

It is not only Mr Sibal's constituency that has rejected the govt's provisions on Lokpal, referendum conducted in various other constituencies across the country reflect the same mood. In Maharashtra's , Amravati 1,20,443 people voted out of which 1,18,082 (98%) people voted in favor of the Janlokpal Bill. In Nagpur 81 people people voted in favor of team Anna's draft, while in Wardha 95 people favored it. In Mumbai 1,04,006 people voted and 95.04 percent people supported team Anna's draft.

These results raises a question - does government's Lokpal Bill represent the wishes of the people of India? Can the government force a law on the people of this country? Is the present government  disconnected to the people? Does the government still represent the people of India?