Desperate to persuade Anna Hazare to end his fast, now in its ninth day, the government has spent its morning meeting with his representatives. A new draft of the Lokpal Bill - which will create an independent anti-corruption agency - has been readied after this morning's negotiations. It has been sent to senior minister Pranab Mukherjee for review, and will be circulated this afternoon at an all-party meeting.
74-year-old Anna appeared visibly weakened but delivered a feisty reprimand to the government in his morning address at his camp at Ramlila Maidan. "This government still does not have the will to fight corruption," he charged. "I am six kilos lighter...but I am not weak," he said. "You power me."
The pressure of Anna's health is forcing the government to search for support both with his associates and among the Opposition. At the heart of the crisis is the Lokpal Bill which is meant to filter out corruption among public servants. The government has introduced a draft of the bill in parliament. Team Anna wants that version withdrawn on the grounds that it is designed to provide cover to those accused of graft. What the government is working on now is a new collaborative draft that pairs its suggestions with those of Team Anna.
It is this new avatar of the Lokpal Bill that will be shared with opposition parties at 3.30 this afternoon. Kiran Bedi, a member of Anna's core group, tweeted this afternoon that three points of difference remain unresolved. Along with two other members of Team Anna, she met with Law Minister Salman Khurshid this morning. "Convergence can be reached," the minister said, "but it cannot happen the instant talks begin." He also said that for the government, ending Anna's fast takes priority over passing the new Lokpal bill before the parliament session ends on September 8. This deadline was set by Anna's aides; sources in the government say the session may be extended as an extreme measure.
Sources say that most of the contentious issues between Team Anna and the government have been resolved. For example, the government has agreed that the Lokpal Bill should cover the Prime Minister. The activists, in exchange, have accepted that corruption charges against senior judges will be addressed through the Judicial Accountability Bill, which will be vetted by the activists, and introduced in Parliament along with a modified Lokpal Bill. There is consensus also on the extent that the anti-corruption wings of the CBI and the Central Vigilance Commission will report to the Lokpal.
What remains to be resolved is whether junior bureaucrats should be reviewed by the Lokpal Bill. The activists say that's essential; the government says this will require 20,000 people to work with the Lokpal or ombudsman committee. Other areas of difference include whether states should draft their own versions of the Lokpal Bill or implement the one passed at the Centre. The activists also want a citizen's charter to be adopted by every government department which would detail the duties of officials in that team and include penalties for under-performance. Sources say that the government is not willing to accept these demands.
The Prime Minister wrote to Anna last evening, expressing concern over the activist's frail health, and offering that Anna's Lokpal Bill could be studied by the Parliamentary standing committee that already has the government's draft. However, Team Anna wants their Lokpal Bill to be debated directly by Parliament, which would entail bypassing any deliberations at the committee level.
NDTV india
74-year-old Anna appeared visibly weakened but delivered a feisty reprimand to the government in his morning address at his camp at Ramlila Maidan. "This government still does not have the will to fight corruption," he charged. "I am six kilos lighter...but I am not weak," he said. "You power me."
The pressure of Anna's health is forcing the government to search for support both with his associates and among the Opposition. At the heart of the crisis is the Lokpal Bill which is meant to filter out corruption among public servants. The government has introduced a draft of the bill in parliament. Team Anna wants that version withdrawn on the grounds that it is designed to provide cover to those accused of graft. What the government is working on now is a new collaborative draft that pairs its suggestions with those of Team Anna.
It is this new avatar of the Lokpal Bill that will be shared with opposition parties at 3.30 this afternoon. Kiran Bedi, a member of Anna's core group, tweeted this afternoon that three points of difference remain unresolved. Along with two other members of Team Anna, she met with Law Minister Salman Khurshid this morning. "Convergence can be reached," the minister said, "but it cannot happen the instant talks begin." He also said that for the government, ending Anna's fast takes priority over passing the new Lokpal bill before the parliament session ends on September 8. This deadline was set by Anna's aides; sources in the government say the session may be extended as an extreme measure.
Sources say that most of the contentious issues between Team Anna and the government have been resolved. For example, the government has agreed that the Lokpal Bill should cover the Prime Minister. The activists, in exchange, have accepted that corruption charges against senior judges will be addressed through the Judicial Accountability Bill, which will be vetted by the activists, and introduced in Parliament along with a modified Lokpal Bill. There is consensus also on the extent that the anti-corruption wings of the CBI and the Central Vigilance Commission will report to the Lokpal.
What remains to be resolved is whether junior bureaucrats should be reviewed by the Lokpal Bill. The activists say that's essential; the government says this will require 20,000 people to work with the Lokpal or ombudsman committee. Other areas of difference include whether states should draft their own versions of the Lokpal Bill or implement the one passed at the Centre. The activists also want a citizen's charter to be adopted by every government department which would detail the duties of officials in that team and include penalties for under-performance. Sources say that the government is not willing to accept these demands.
The Prime Minister wrote to Anna last evening, expressing concern over the activist's frail health, and offering that Anna's Lokpal Bill could be studied by the Parliamentary standing committee that already has the government's draft. However, Team Anna wants their Lokpal Bill to be debated directly by Parliament, which would entail bypassing any deliberations at the committee level.
NDTV india
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