New Delhi: Much is expected to happen after an all-party meeting called by the government late in the afternoon today to discuss the Lokpal Bill issue. A breakthrough is expected in the Anna-Hazare-Government stand-off, after a flurry of meetings all of Tuesday and at least one that continued into the early hours of Wednesday.
Sources say in the broad contours of a compromise solution, the government may bring the Prime Minister under the Lokpal. Both sides agree, sources say, that Parliament can decide on bringing the CBI and the Central Vigilance Commission under the Lokpal.
There are some sticking points still - mainly over the inclusion of the bureaucracy under the purview of the ombudsman and a common Bill for the Centre and States. The government is loath to get the entire lower bureaucracy under the Lokpal as it will mean arming the ombudsman with about 20,000 people to look into corruption charges at that level.
Team Anna has accepted that the judiciary, which it had earlier wanted under the Lokpal, can be covered by a separate Bill provided it is brought in this very session too along with a grievances redressal Bill.
The government, much battered both by public sentiment and by the opposition in the last few days, is now not taking chances. It will discuss getting the PM under Lokpal's purview - symbolically the most important demand -- and other proposals at the all-party meeting it has called today.
Importantly, sources say, the government may push for the Lokpal Bill to be passed in this session of Parliament. The monsoon session ends on September 8. Anna Hazare has sought a firm, written commitment on this. The government's internal deadline to sort out Lokpal-related matters, sources say, is before the PM's annual iftaar party tonight.
Anna Hazare's fast has entered the ninth day and doctors say his health is deteriorating. But the anti-corruption crusader has refused to be shifted to hospital or give up his fast. Opinion, sources say, within the government is divided on whether to force-feed him or not if his condition worsens. One view is that such a step could boomerang on a government already under attack for the way it handled his arrest and incarceration.
Team Anna, which finally got to sit at a discussion table with an official mediator in senior minister Pranab Mukherjee last evening, said on Wednesday morning that, "The government had told us they would discuss sticking points with various parties; if they can show us something positive, we can show it to Annaji." (Read: Who is Anna Hazare?) | (Read: What is Jan Lokpal Bill?)
Arvind Kejriwal, a key associate of Mr Hazare, also made expectations clear when he said, "Rewriting law can happen in 24 hours. But let's see what kind of written commitment they can give...they did not discuss inclusion of PM, so am assuming they are ok with it...a comprehensive anti-corruption law is needed, be it with one law or two."
That team, like many others, is waiting to hear what the government decided at a high-level meeting of the Congress party that continued late into the night. Apart from the Prime Minister, the core group meet included Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, Political Secretary to the Congress President, Ahmad Patel, and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee - who led the talks with Anna's aides. Home Minister P Chidambaram, Law Minister Salman Khurshid, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and Defence Minister AK Antony were also present.
The core group meet followed the meeting the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) where Pranab Mukherjee apprised his colleagues of his talks with Team Anna.
These developments came on a night when Anna Hazare's health was declared worrying by doctors attending to the activist - the 74-year-old is on the ninth day of his fast and has refused to end it. Anna has refused to be hospitalised despite doctors warning that his blood pressure and vital signs are worrying. A few hours before a worrying medical bulletin was shared, the Prime Minister wrote to him. "Despite the differences between the Government and your team," the PM wrote, "I do not think that anybody is or should be in any doubt about the deep and abiding concern which I and our Government share about your health, arising from your continuing fast." (Read: Prime Minister's letter to Anna Hazare)
Anna addressed thousands on Tuesday at his sit-in protest at Ramlila Maidan at 9 pm. "My conscience doesn't permit me to end my fast. Even if my kidney fails, won't one of you donate one to me? I will die for this country. If the government sends someone to forcibly move me to hospital, block the exits. But I am stressing, do not engage in any violence," a visibly weakened Anna explained.
Three representatives of Team Anna met Pranab Mukherjee and Salman Khurshid. Emerging from these talks at 10 pm, lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan said that the discussions were "constructive and fruitful" but that in the absence of any concrete proposals from the government, Anna is unlikely to relent and end his hunger strike. Team Anna insisted their version of the Lokpal Bill must be introduced and passed in this session of Parliament.
"I wish these talks had started three days earlier," said Kiran Bedi, who is from Anna's core team.
Team Anna also rejected the Prime Minister's contention that the Jan Lokpal Bill could be referred to the Standing Committee. Mr Kejriwal said they made it clear to the government that Jan Lokpal Bill should be passed, without referring it to the Standing Committee, during the current session of Parliament, even if it means extending it by a few days. They demanded that the official Lokpal Bill should be withdrawn or allowed to lapse.
Mr Mukherjee said "Anna's health is very precious to us" and then headed to another meeting with the PM and other senior ministers. The government wants to finalise its strategy ahead of an all-party meeting this afternoon that will focus on both the Lokpal Bill and Anna's stand.
In his letter, Dr Manmohan Singh offered to have Anna's Bill placed before a Parliamentary Committee in charge of handling the Lokpal Bill. This committee - the Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Personnel - has so far been scrutinising the Government's version of the Bill. The activists led by Anna say that this draft is weak and provides too many outs to public servants accused of corruption. (Govt's appeal to Anna: Your Comments)
The PM stressed, "As you are aware, the Lokpal Bill is now before a Standing Committee of Parliament. I have made it clear earlier and would like to restate that all options are open before the Standing Committee. Undoubtedly, they would be entitled to consider, in detail and clause by clause, subject to their discretion, not only the Bill introduced by us but the Jan Lokpal Bill and other versions like those prepared by Ms. Aruna Roy. Equally, I do maintain that they are fully entitled to make any changes to the Bill introduced by the Govt. and referred to them. In that view of the matter, the formal non introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill version by the government is irrelevant and would largely boil down to a semantic debate."
Team Anna has so far said it wants its Bill to be debated directly by Parliament; various close associates of Anna like Mr Bhushan have dismissed the Standing Committee's deliberations as "a delaying tactic."
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the Congress Rajya Sabha MP who heads the Standing Committee, said on NDTV on Tuesday night that the demand by Team Anna to discuss and pass its Bill before this Parliament session ends on September 8 is impractical.
The government's newly-solicitous attitude towards Team Anna comes after it has sullenly watched thousands of people embrace Anna's war-cry against corruption. His camp in Delhi has drawn unprecedented crowds despite the alternately hot and rainy days that Delhi has traversed recently. (Read international reports on Anna's fast)
The Prime Minister met with Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi last evening to discuss the Anna crisis; simultaneously, the government's senior-most minister, Mr Mukherjee, was deputed to lead the talks with Anna's aides.
The Lokpal Bill provides for an independent agency that will examine charges of corruption against public servants. Team Anna says the government has deliberately drafted a weak Bill that will not effectively combat systematic venality. So they drafted their own version of the Bill. Two weeks ago, the government ignored Team Anna's Bill and introduced its own in Parliament. The activists declared war and delivered on their threat that Anna would start a fast and appeal to Indians to join his demonstration against corruption.
Sources say in the broad contours of a compromise solution, the government may bring the Prime Minister under the Lokpal. Both sides agree, sources say, that Parliament can decide on bringing the CBI and the Central Vigilance Commission under the Lokpal.
There are some sticking points still - mainly over the inclusion of the bureaucracy under the purview of the ombudsman and a common Bill for the Centre and States. The government is loath to get the entire lower bureaucracy under the Lokpal as it will mean arming the ombudsman with about 20,000 people to look into corruption charges at that level.
Team Anna has accepted that the judiciary, which it had earlier wanted under the Lokpal, can be covered by a separate Bill provided it is brought in this very session too along with a grievances redressal Bill.
The government, much battered both by public sentiment and by the opposition in the last few days, is now not taking chances. It will discuss getting the PM under Lokpal's purview - symbolically the most important demand -- and other proposals at the all-party meeting it has called today.
Importantly, sources say, the government may push for the Lokpal Bill to be passed in this session of Parliament. The monsoon session ends on September 8. Anna Hazare has sought a firm, written commitment on this. The government's internal deadline to sort out Lokpal-related matters, sources say, is before the PM's annual iftaar party tonight.
Anna Hazare's fast has entered the ninth day and doctors say his health is deteriorating. But the anti-corruption crusader has refused to be shifted to hospital or give up his fast. Opinion, sources say, within the government is divided on whether to force-feed him or not if his condition worsens. One view is that such a step could boomerang on a government already under attack for the way it handled his arrest and incarceration.
Team Anna, which finally got to sit at a discussion table with an official mediator in senior minister Pranab Mukherjee last evening, said on Wednesday morning that, "The government had told us they would discuss sticking points with various parties; if they can show us something positive, we can show it to Annaji." (Read: Who is Anna Hazare?) | (Read: What is Jan Lokpal Bill?)
Arvind Kejriwal, a key associate of Mr Hazare, also made expectations clear when he said, "Rewriting law can happen in 24 hours. But let's see what kind of written commitment they can give...they did not discuss inclusion of PM, so am assuming they are ok with it...a comprehensive anti-corruption law is needed, be it with one law or two."
That team, like many others, is waiting to hear what the government decided at a high-level meeting of the Congress party that continued late into the night. Apart from the Prime Minister, the core group meet included Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, Political Secretary to the Congress President, Ahmad Patel, and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee - who led the talks with Anna's aides. Home Minister P Chidambaram, Law Minister Salman Khurshid, Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and Defence Minister AK Antony were also present.
The core group meet followed the meeting the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) where Pranab Mukherjee apprised his colleagues of his talks with Team Anna.
These developments came on a night when Anna Hazare's health was declared worrying by doctors attending to the activist - the 74-year-old is on the ninth day of his fast and has refused to end it. Anna has refused to be hospitalised despite doctors warning that his blood pressure and vital signs are worrying. A few hours before a worrying medical bulletin was shared, the Prime Minister wrote to him. "Despite the differences between the Government and your team," the PM wrote, "I do not think that anybody is or should be in any doubt about the deep and abiding concern which I and our Government share about your health, arising from your continuing fast." (Read: Prime Minister's letter to Anna Hazare)
Anna addressed thousands on Tuesday at his sit-in protest at Ramlila Maidan at 9 pm. "My conscience doesn't permit me to end my fast. Even if my kidney fails, won't one of you donate one to me? I will die for this country. If the government sends someone to forcibly move me to hospital, block the exits. But I am stressing, do not engage in any violence," a visibly weakened Anna explained.
Three representatives of Team Anna met Pranab Mukherjee and Salman Khurshid. Emerging from these talks at 10 pm, lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan said that the discussions were "constructive and fruitful" but that in the absence of any concrete proposals from the government, Anna is unlikely to relent and end his hunger strike. Team Anna insisted their version of the Lokpal Bill must be introduced and passed in this session of Parliament.
"I wish these talks had started three days earlier," said Kiran Bedi, who is from Anna's core team.
Team Anna also rejected the Prime Minister's contention that the Jan Lokpal Bill could be referred to the Standing Committee. Mr Kejriwal said they made it clear to the government that Jan Lokpal Bill should be passed, without referring it to the Standing Committee, during the current session of Parliament, even if it means extending it by a few days. They demanded that the official Lokpal Bill should be withdrawn or allowed to lapse.
Mr Mukherjee said "Anna's health is very precious to us" and then headed to another meeting with the PM and other senior ministers. The government wants to finalise its strategy ahead of an all-party meeting this afternoon that will focus on both the Lokpal Bill and Anna's stand.
In his letter, Dr Manmohan Singh offered to have Anna's Bill placed before a Parliamentary Committee in charge of handling the Lokpal Bill. This committee - the Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Personnel - has so far been scrutinising the Government's version of the Bill. The activists led by Anna say that this draft is weak and provides too many outs to public servants accused of corruption. (Govt's appeal to Anna: Your Comments)
The PM stressed, "As you are aware, the Lokpal Bill is now before a Standing Committee of Parliament. I have made it clear earlier and would like to restate that all options are open before the Standing Committee. Undoubtedly, they would be entitled to consider, in detail and clause by clause, subject to their discretion, not only the Bill introduced by us but the Jan Lokpal Bill and other versions like those prepared by Ms. Aruna Roy. Equally, I do maintain that they are fully entitled to make any changes to the Bill introduced by the Govt. and referred to them. In that view of the matter, the formal non introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill version by the government is irrelevant and would largely boil down to a semantic debate."
Team Anna has so far said it wants its Bill to be debated directly by Parliament; various close associates of Anna like Mr Bhushan have dismissed the Standing Committee's deliberations as "a delaying tactic."
Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the Congress Rajya Sabha MP who heads the Standing Committee, said on NDTV on Tuesday night that the demand by Team Anna to discuss and pass its Bill before this Parliament session ends on September 8 is impractical.
The government's newly-solicitous attitude towards Team Anna comes after it has sullenly watched thousands of people embrace Anna's war-cry against corruption. His camp in Delhi has drawn unprecedented crowds despite the alternately hot and rainy days that Delhi has traversed recently. (Read international reports on Anna's fast)
The Prime Minister met with Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi last evening to discuss the Anna crisis; simultaneously, the government's senior-most minister, Mr Mukherjee, was deputed to lead the talks with Anna's aides.
The Lokpal Bill provides for an independent agency that will examine charges of corruption against public servants. Team Anna says the government has deliberately drafted a weak Bill that will not effectively combat systematic venality. So they drafted their own version of the Bill. Two weeks ago, the government ignored Team Anna's Bill and introduced its own in Parliament. The activists declared war and delivered on their threat that Anna would start a fast and appeal to Indians to join his demonstration against corruption.
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