Govt should take cue from growing support to Anna Hazare

It is time for the government to realise the mood of the general public in the country and make public its plan for passing the Jan Lok pall bill .People in 400 cities across India and foreign countries have come out in support of Hazare.Anna Hazare has ignited the wide spread resentment of the general public in the nation about corruption by politicians and bureacrats. People are fed up with corrupt politicians and are no longer prepared to tolerate them.The scenes at the Jantar Mantar where Anna Hazare is fasting shows it is an apolitical movement.Rightly Anna has called it " Azadi ka doosari Ladai" (Second war of Independence ).The fact that the student and younger population across the country is lending support to the movement shows the movement is gaining momentum.People from all parts of the conuntry are converging at Delhi to show their solidarity with Annaji.Politician like Uma Bharathi and Chautala were heckled by the crowd when they wanted to meet Annaji .They were forced to retreat .And people assembled there rightly said 'show your support by passing the Lokpal Bill'.So far the PM has not replied to the 5 point letter of Anna Hazare.Veerappa Moily the Law Minister says govenment " did not say no " to the demand for a joint committee to draft the bill.

1.Then what prevents the government to agree for a joint comiittee ?

(It is a pity Moily's office had misplaced the copy of the draft bill given by Hazare and asked for another copy .Hazare has promptly said "This is the seriousness with which the government has dealt with Jan Lokpal Bill.")

2.What is the harm in agreeing to study the bill drafted by Santosh Hegde and others ?

3.Congress Spokesperson Manu Singhvi says this would become a wrong precedent and will open a flood gate for such demands.But Hazare says there are many such instances where bills are drafted by Joint committees of eminent persons.Even Maharashtra RTI act was drafted by a joint committee and is considered a model Act by many countries in the world.He also cites instances of Joint committe set up by the centre .

4.Government wants Annaji to show patience . Annaji is right in saying he and the Indian public has waited for 42 long years.Annaji also said he and IAC wrote many letters regarding this to PM's office and got no response. Only after his letter of indefenite fast threat he was called for a discussion .Annaji has also challenged " Tell me a single meeting when you called us and we did not come".Annaji says "the government is willing to set up joint committees on all other issues, but not on corruption. Why?"

The time has now come that the government and Indian politicians understand the need to end corruption in all walks of life as people are fed up of this evil. It would be in the national interest that Manmohan singh's government should not stand on ego hassles and come forward to discuss the Jan Lokpal Bill draft and throw the bill open for a national debate before it is passed by the Parliament .I feel this is a golden opporunity to cleanse corruption from Indian polity . It would be better for the government to take a cue from the ever increasing support for the Lokpal bill and pass the redrafted Jan Lokpal Bill in the ensuing session of Parliament.