Anna writes to PM: Will the Lokpal Bill be PASSED?

Anna Hazare on Saturday wrote a fresh letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying doubts have arisen over whether the Lokpal Bill will be passed by December 23, when Parliament's current session gets over. The activist also threatened to go ahead with his proposed fast and jail bharo agitation.

In a four-page letter, he alleged that the government's behaviour was "not at all right" and asked why Dr Singh changed his stand on the Citizens' Charter, despite giving a written assurance that it will be part of the Lokpal bill.

He said in the past few months, Dr Singh had given him assurances through letters that a strong Lokpal Bill will be passed in the winter session of Parliament.

Hazare said in the last one year, the government has given a lot of assurances on the Lokpal Bill but every time, they have betrayed the countrymen.

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"We suspended all our agitations till the Winter Session, taking your word on face value. Reports published in media now say that the Winter Session will end on December 23. Will the Lokpal Bill be passed by then? We have doubts on this," he said.

"Despite your promises, if a strong, independent and effective bill is not passed in the session, I will be forced to sit on a fast from December 27. Jail Bharo agitation will start from December 30," he said.

Demanding bringing the Central Bureau of Investigations' anti-corruption wing under Lokpal and making it its investigative agency, he said it appeared that no government wanted to give away the control over CBI for political reasons.

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"Does it mean that Lokpal will not have an investigative agency. Without an investigative agency what will it do? Then it is better that we don't need a Lokpal," he said, alleging that the CBI had been misused under successive governments.

Hazare said he was surprised to see the Union Cabinet clearing a separate Citizens' Charter on December 13 when Parliament had already passed a resolution in which it is clearly mentioned that it will be under Lokpal

"You (Dr Singh) yourself have written to me. Why are you changing your stand and saying that it will be sent to the Standing Committee? That will take another four months. Don't you think that people are being cheated," Hazare said.

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The activist also pointed out that the Parliamentary Standing Committee's recommendations on the appointment of a search and selection committee for Lokpal were fraught with deficiencies as politicians play a major role in it.

Hazare alleged that Parliamentary Standing Committee chairman Abhishek Manu Singhvi had insulted Parliament by not taking into cognisance the resolution passed by the House.

"Out of the three issues -- inclusion of lower bureaucracy, Citizens' Charter and state Lokayuktas, two of them have not been accepted. If a Standing Committee chairman ignores Parliament's resolution, what is the future of our democracy," Hazare said in the letter.

"The Standing Committee report (on Lokpal) is a betrayal of the countrymen," he said.