RALEGAN SIDDHI: Anna Hazare, fasting for the last five days for passage of Lokpal Bill, on Saturday said that he was happy with the amended legislation presented in the Rajya Sabha and would call off his hunger strike the moment the law is enacted.
“I will call off my fast as soon as the bill is passed by the Rajya Sabha, the Lok Sabha endorses it and the President signs it into a law,” Hazare told reporters, shortly after Rahul Gandhi made a strong pitch for passing the bill, describing it as a “very, very powerful instrument” in the fight against corruption.
Hazare said several of his expectations from the legislation have been met and expressed satisfaction over the bill which was presented in the Rajya Sabha yesterday.
“I am satisfied with whatever I have seen of the draft bill and so I welcome it,” he said.
The Gandhian, who is observing his fourth fast for anti-corruption ombudsman, said some issues he wanted to be incorporated into the bill might have been left out but he was not disappointed.
“If I try to impose my view on Parliament, it will be wrong. Parliament has its own place of prominence, it doesn’t matter if 2-3 things have been left out,” he said.
Hazare expressed satisfaction over the selection process of the Lokpal which would be appointed by a collegium that would include an eminent jurist selected through consensus by its other four members — the Prime Minister, Lok Sabha Speaker, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Chief Justice of India.
He said bringing the Prime Minister within the purview of the Lokpal and both CBI and CVC under its control were good steps.
“We had been insisting for a long time on freeing CBI from government control”, he said.
‘Surprised that Anna has accepted sarkari Bill’
A day after Anna Hazare asked an Aam Aadmi Party member to leave his fast venue, party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said the Gandhian is being misled on the Lokpal issue as the bill the government seeks to pass does not fulfil his demands and will create a “jokepal”.
In a series of tweets, Kejriwal expressed surprise how Hazare could accept the Lokpal Bill that was tabled in the Rajya Sabha yesterday.
He reasoned that this bill does not contain any of the three most important provisions that the Jan Lokpal Bill espoused by Hazare and his team contained.
“I m really surprised. How can Anna accept sarkari lokpal bill? Sarkari lokpal is a “jokepal”. Who is misguiding Anna?” Kejriwal tweeted.
Kejriwal, who in 2011 was with Hazare, also tweeted that “None of the 3 conditions which were agreed upon when Anna broke his fast in Aug 2011 are there in this jokepal.”
The government on Friday brought the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill to the Rajya Sabha in an amended form.
Hazare, who has been fasting for the last five days for passage of Lokpal Bill, on Saturday said that he was happy with the amended legislation presented in the Rajya Sabha and would call off his hunger strike the moment the law was enacted.
“I will call off my fast as soon as the bill is passed by the Rajya Sabha, the Lok Sabha endorses it and the President signs it into a law,” Hazare told reporters.
But the AAP leader said that it was interesting to see that BJP and Congress have agreed on this “jokepal”, and questioned “what does this jokepal achieve?”
CBI has not been made autonomous. CBI will continue to be under government’s control, he added.
“So why did Anna agree for such a jokepal? Which forces are misleading him? I am really sad,” he tweeted, and also said that whatever Anna may say he and his party would continue their fight for Janlokpal till their last breath. (PTI)