Lokpal will be 'new Gaddafi': Shiv Sena

NEW DELHI: On the eve of introduction of a new Lokpal bill in Parliament, Shiv Sena today appealed to political parties to stop a "new Gaddafi" from taking birth.

Declaring that creation of the Lokpal was not the only way to eradicate corruption, Party General Secretary Sanjay Raut said that the passage of the bill could lead to the ombudsman controlling the nation.

"Stop a new Gaddafi from taking birth in the interest of the nation and Parliamentary democracy," the MP said.

Claiming that Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thacakrey was the first party chief to come out against the creation of the Lokpal to maintain supremacy of Parliament and its representatives, he said that other parties needed to follow suit.

Shiv Sena, he said, has always fought against corruption and has staged agitations on the issue. He claimed that Team Anna member Kiran Bedi has "no moral right" to agitate on the issue of corruption due to her alleged "acts of omission and commission".

He also took a dig at Anna Hazare's plans to shift the venue of his proposed fast from Delhi to Mumbai in view of the intense cold in the capita . He said that MPs have been attending Parliament in spite of the cold and have even extended the winter session.

Rahul Gandhi meets Lucknow villagers

Lucknow:  Anna Hazare is in Delhi today, hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for a weak Lokpal but the Congress leader left the capital for Uttar Pradesh.

After hectic meetings with party workers and candidates in Lucknow on Saturday, he then went on to the Neeva barauli village on the outskirts of the city.

There he held a chaupaal with the villagers who belonged to 'chaurasia' community in the village. The villagers huddled around a bonfire and shared their problems with the Congress General Secretary, who gave them a patient hearing and promised that he would help them.

Flash mob, human chain, fast for Anna

PUNE: Flash mobs, one-day fasts and formation of human chains are planned by the Pune unit of the India Against Corruption (IAC) in the city on December 11 to express support to social crusader Anna Hazare's day-long fast at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi to press for a strong Lokpal.

Flash mobs will be held at Pune railway station and Swargate chowk, the one-day fast will be staged at Balgandharva chowk and a human chain will be made on M G Road, in support of Hazare.

Gitesh Devhane, coordinator of IAC Pune said, "Information regarding the programmes has been made available through Facebook and Twitter and mails have been sent to registered citizens to mobilise support for the agitation."

"A flash mob has been organized on the line of flash mobs in Mumbai, Delhi, and the recent one arranged in the city, to support Anna Hazare and to create awareness among the youth about the need for a strong Lokpal bill and the need to curb corruption in society. A video of the flash mob will be done and it will be posted on YouTube. Participants in the flash mob will be asked to make specific gestures to express the demand for a strong Lokpal," he said.

Bhavesh Bhati, another coordinator said, "Flash mob is catching youth attention. It is a better way to raise awareness about the issue and get the support of the youth for a strong Lokpal. City youth enthusiastically supported the previous agitation held in the month of April and August. So we expect more support and participation this time as well."

People are registering for the flash mobs and the IAC has got 450 responses from citizens and the number is only set to increase. "A flash mob will be organised at Pune railway station at 1 pm and another near Swargate bus stand at 3 pm. We have organised a human chain on M G Road at 7 pm the same day," he said.

Politicians more concerned than Anna: Lalu

New Delhi: Dismissing Anna Hazare's "threats" on Lokpal issue, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad on Friday said that politicians were more serious on the issue of tackling corruption than Team Anna.
"We are more serious on corruption than Team Anna. We have come out from the anti-corruption agitation of Jayaprakash Narayan. We are committed to eradicate corruption but no one should be partial.

"Corruption at levels in media corporate, NGOs or real estate sector should be looked into by the Lokpal. Disproportionate properties of individuals should be taken over by states and redistributed," Prasad told reporters after meeting Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan also accompanied him.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Friday said that politicians were more serious
 on the issue of tackling corruption.

On the issue of black money, the RJD leader said it would not be unearthed by making new laws. "For this, a movement is required," he said.

Paswan demanded immediate implementation of recommendations of Rangnath Mishra Commission report for improving the lot of minorities and a commission for judicial services on the lines of those for civil and police services in the country.

Anna Hazare losing his credibility: Digvijaya

New Delhi: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday fired a fresh salvo at Team Anna saying Anna Hazare was losing his credibility with his conflicting utterances on the Lokpal issue and claimed his campaign against party in Uttar Pradesh would have "zero" impact.

"Anna is losing his credibility gradually by making such statements. One day he says that defeat Congress. The second day he says I am not against any party but against corrupt candidate. Next days he says, I am going to campaign against the Congress party. He should make up his mind first and think before he says something," Singh told reporters.

Digvijaya Singh said that Hazare should sit back silently and wait till the
 Winter session.

He was reacting to Hazare's declaration on Friday that he would campaign against Congress in five states where Assembly elections are due next year if the UPA government fails to get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed in the Winter Session of Parliament.

"It will have zero impact in UP," said Singh when asked how much Team Anna's campaign could affect Congress in the state.

He said that Hazare should sit back silently and wait till the Winter session, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, himself, had assured him to bring the bill in this session.

Singh also took a jibe at Arvind Kejriwal over his letter to the Prime Minister on returning his service dues and said the activist's efforts to seek "martyrdom" would not succeed.

"Kejriwal is presenting this matter in a way that injustice was meted out to him. He filled up the bond form, it was he, who did not fulfill its conditions....There is no question of any martyrdom in this, which he is unnecessarilty trying to create around. This halo will not last," Singh said.

Can Uttarakhand’s Lokpal Lead the Way?

Orissa based sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik creates a sand sculpture of
Hindu elephant God, Lord Ganesh and anti-corruption campaigner
 Anna Hazare in Bangalore prior to Hindu festival Ganesh Chaturthi

India’s northern hill state of Uttarakhand earlier this week became the first in the nation to establish a strong anti-graft watchdog similar to the Jan Lokpal, or people’s ombudsman, that is being pushed at the national level by Gandhian activist Anna Hazare and his team.

The anti-corruption law known as the “Uttarakhand Lokayukta Bill”  was passed in the state assembly Monday and includes in its purview the chief minister and other ministers, legislators, and all government officials. It also covers the lower judiciary in the state but exempts high court judges.

The small hill state that was once a part of Uttar Pradesh is governed by India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Passage of the law may give the BJP some advantage against the ruling Congress party in New Delhi when Parliament convenes for the winter session later this month by allowing the BJP to claim it has been actively implementing Hazare’s proposals and is serious about introducing anti-corruption measures.

Anna Hazare : Real Diwali only after Lokpal bill is passed

Mumbai : Anna Hazare who is on a ‘maun vrat’ (vow of silence), thanked the people for their part in the battle for the Jan Lokpal bill. He led his village Ralegan Siddhi in lighting 10,000 diyas to herald the festival of lights but cautioned that the “real Diwali” would be when the Jan Lokpal bill is passed.

“Anna wrote that the real Diwali will be when the bill is passed,” Hazare’s associate Datta Awari said.

“We will celebrate Diwali in true sense on the day when Jan Lokpal Bill will be implemented. That Diwali will enlighten us from within and outside. This year, we are celebrating Diwali like every year but this time around let us try to celebrate ‘that’ Diwali,” Hazare said.

In a written message, the septuagenarian thanked the people for their part in the battle for the Jan Lokpal bill. He wrote that until Lokpal bill is passed the real Diwali would not be celebrated. He distributed sweets to students  and clothes to poor people in the village.

Hazare had blogged on Monday night, defending members of his team in the face of recent controversies including inflation of travel bills by Kiran Bedi. Even after Bedi decided to return the extra travel money claimed by her for attending various events, Hazare tried to put up a defence for her.

“To accuse and humiliate seems to be the mantra of the few. This is not the first time that such accusations have been levelled against Kiran Bedi. Every member of Team Anna had to face accusations and character assassination by the ‘gang of four.’ Who are these people? Those are the very same people who are not in favour of Jan Lokpal Bill,” he said.

Hazare hoped that people who are busy levelling accusations against his team would join him in celebrations when the bill is finally passed.

Signs of a thaw? Anna Hazare invites Rahul home to Ralegan Siddhi

NEW DELHI: Anna Hazare has invited Rahul Gandhi to Ralegan Siddhi to witness rural development in his village, indicating a thaw in the bitter relations between him and Congress.

"Anna's message is clear that Rahul is welcome to Ralegan. He has high expectations from Rahul about the leadership of the new generation," Vinayakrao Deshmukh, Hazare's nephew, told TOI, quoting the Gandhian.

Vinayakrao, who incidentally is Congress in-charge of implementation of UPA's flagship schemes in Maharashtra, is in the capital.

The improving vibes between the fierce Lokpal campaigner and Congress come amid recrimination over Hazare's "defeat Congress" call in Hisar bypolls. Congress leader Digvijay Singh accused him of carrying out RSS agenda to target the party with a flurry of letters.

But Vinayak said the 'RSS front' charge was baseless. "In our place, when some elder dies, a mourning person does not wear a cap and stays barefoot for 10 days. I still remember when Indira Gandhi was assassinated, Anna did not wear topi and chappal for 10 days, such is his respect for the Nehru-Gandhi family," he said.

In contrast, he said, Hazare was offered a Rajya Sabha nomination during NDA regime but he turned it down.

Vinayak said the slanging match between Congress and Hazare was a result of "bad communication" because the Gandhian was fighting against corruption while Congress leadership agreed with it.

"Anna is never against any party but is only for an issue... I think the days ahead are good for Congress-Anna partnership if a strong Lokpal bill is passed in the winter session of Parliament," he said.

"Now, after PM wrote to him assuring that the bill would be brought in the winter session, he has postponed his UP yatra," he said.

Hazare's nephew said there were no major differences between his uncle and the Congress leadership. "It will be good for Congress in future. Anna can help guide the Centre's rural development programmes through his associations," he said.

Will respond if Lokpal violates Constitution

PUNE: Founder-leader of the Dalit Panther organisation Namdeo Dhasal said on Friday that his organisation would "respond strongly" if social crusader Anna Hazare's ongoing fight for a strong Lokpal Bill violated the Constitutional framework.

He added that he was ready to hold a debate with Hazare over the Lokpal issue.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Dalit Panther in the city, Dhasal said, "Getting the Lokpal Bill passed in the parliament will not resolve the issue of corruption.

"One should note that the caste system in our country is still not abolished, even though there is a law to abolish it. Then how can a law eradicate corruption from the country?"

Dhasal also said that the Ralegan Siddhi would witness strong agitations if Hazare's movement broke the constitutional framework.

Team Anna in Hisar: Wrong cause, wrong election, wrong rhetoric

Team Anna’s decision to jump into the fray in the Hisar by-election is a mistake, period. And not for the usual reasons. It matters less if their stance strengthens the BJP, or if they are perceived as its allies. Nor is there anything wrong with a civil society group getting involved in electoral politics. The problem is that the leaders of the movement seem to have lost sight of their cause, which is fighting corruption – not the Congress party. And in doing so, they have chosen the wrong battle at the wrong place at the wrong time.

And here are three reasons why:

One, wrong cause. Anna Hazare went on a fast in August for an excellent reason. The proposed UPA Lokpal bill was a mockery of the very intent of the legislation, and the government clearly had no intention of meeting Anna’s demand that the bill be proposed and passed in the monsoon session. The deadline ran out and he headed to Ram Lila.

But the reasoning for this confrontation in Hisar is murky, to say the least. Anna wants the government to pass the Lokpal bill during the winter Parliamentary session, which will begin in November. The government can hardly be in violation of a deadline that has not yet arrived. So why punish the Congress for breaches of faith yet to be committed? Demands not yet rejected?

“Do not vote for Congress during the Hisar by-poll as we are yet to receive a letter of support from the party supporting the passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament,” says Hazare. Kejriwal even specifies that nothing less than a letter from Sonia Gandhi will do. So the recent letter from the Prime Minister of India clearly won’t do because he doesn’t count for Team Anna.

Now Arvind Kejriwal is saying, “If the Congress passes the Jan Lokpal Bill tomorrow, we will immediately withdraw our campaign.” Down we go the slippery slope of unreasonable demands…

There’s been much talk about “sending a message” but the only message here is that Team Anna is itching for any excuse for a fight with the ruling party. Perhaps because it keeps them in the spotlight and maintains the momentum gathered from the August fast. This is more a PR battle — or more likely vendetta — than a just war.

Two, wrong election. Hisar may seem like an obvious choice given Kejriwal’s local roots. But it was likely also chosen for another more dubious reason: Hisar also promises an easy win. The Congress party candidate is an underdog in the fight, and is unlikely to win – with or without Anna’s intervention. But by expediently relabeling the election as a “referendum on the Lokpal bill” – and rallying voters against a man already slated to lose — Team Anna is well-positioned to take credit for his defeat, and make it a symbol of popular will.

Nice idea except Raj Prakash is the cleanest and the least wealthy of the three candidates in the fray. To offer aid and comfort – even by default — to the likes of Ajay Singh Chautala and Kuldeep Bishnoi is hardly the way to promote the anti-corruption cause. Chautala has two pending cases of corruption, cheating and criminal conspiracy against him. And Bishnoi faces a case for attempted murder. Both are fabulously rich heirs of political dynasties with no apparent source of income.

“After all, these elected Congress candidates with a clean image will follow only the party high command’s whip and not listen to their conscience,” rebuts Anna when presented with such inconvenient facts. Kejriwal’s comeback is equally unconvincing: “We never said that Chautala or Bishnoi is better than anyone else. If Chautala is facing charges, there is all the more reason for us to fight for the Jan Lokpal Bill so that anyone who indulges in corruption, irrespective of whosoever he may be, is punished promptly for his misdeeds.” Yes, let’s aid and abet the election of criminals so we can punish them later.

Besides, criminal-politicians are hardly more likely to support the Lokpal bill, party whip or not. (Not that there is any guarantee the BJP or other opposition parties will issue any such whip) And it certainly seems odd to remain silent about Bishnoi and Chautala, while Kejriwal and Sisodia campaign against Prakash with misleading slogans like “Congress ke haath, Bhrashtachaar ke saath (Congress’ palm — it’s election symbol — with corruption),” “Ab toh spasht hain, Congress party bhrasht hain (It’s clear now, Congress is corrupt).” Not quite, at least not in this case.

Besides, they could have chosen one of the other bye-elections that offer choice targets like the one in Khadakwasala in Anna’s home state, Maharashtra. Congress-supported Harshada, the wife of deceased Ramesh Wanjale, is the ultimate political fat cat with a notorious affection for gold. Even without Anna’s benediction, BJP leader Gopinath Munde has been eagerly invoking his name: “Anna has asked people not to vote for the Congress as it is corrupt. His men are whole-heatedly campaigning against the party in Hisar (Haryana). So you as voters have to listen to Anna and vote against the corrupt Congress-NCP alliance in this by-poll.”

But Khadakwasala does pose one tiny little problem: Harshada is expected to win. And that certainly won’t send the “right message.”

Three, wrong rhetoric. During the long summer of protest, Team Anna displayed its most impressive and lethal asset: message discipline. The tone was measured as was the language. And they were blessed with opponents suffering from an acute case of verbal diarrhoea. But this time around, they seem determined to match the likes of Digvijay Singh, word for ill-advised word.

For starters, Team Anna is no longer railing against the system but against one single political party.  Deny it as they may, the proof is in the pudding, as in quotes from Arvind Kejriwal like these: “We do not have ill will against the Congress. But if you Congresswallas do not pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, we will destroy the very foundation of the Congress in the country.”

Then there is the alarming shift to emotional blackmail in their speeches. The appeal is not to people’s outrage against corruption this time around, but their personal loyalty to Anna. “You will have to inflict a historic defeat on the Congress. If you defeat the party, this will be Anna’s victory,” Kejriwal told the gathering.  At the end of another meeting, he upped the ante further: “Each one of your votes will act as a life breath for Anna. This government wants Anna to die. You can save his life with every vote of yours.”

But the worst of the lot is this:

He (Anna) has told me that if the Congress doesn’t pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the winter session, he will go on another hunger strike. Anna’s life is in your hands. Each vote you cast against the Congress is like a breath for Anna-ji. I am not saying vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party either. There are 40 candidates, vote for any of them except the Congress. If you vote for the Congress, it will be desh-droh.

Elections are the life blood of a democracy. To use them as a tool of political opportunism is unwise and unseemly. But to label the free exercise of a citizen’s vote for the party of his/her choice as an act of treachery is unforgivable. And it is a clear sign of a movement that is losing its direction and its head.

Diggi’s Anna obsession; will the Congress never learn?

Digvijaya Singh is incorrigible, or is it the Congress?

While the prime minister and other senior ministers are busy placating Anna Hazare, who’s out on a mission to damage the Congress’ prospects in the Hisar bypoll, Digvijaya is hellbent on digging up dirt on the Gandhian. It cannot be sheer accident that the party and the government are on different tracks; there has to be more to it. It is possible the Congress is playing a double game, which it is known to be adept at.

To substantiate his claim that Anna is propped up by the RSS, which he believes is the secret source of strength behind his anti-corruption movement, the Congress general secretary has ferreted out a letter allegedly written by RSS functionary Sunil Joshi to Anna. It makes some claims on the organisation’s support to the movement.

Anna does not need to respond to Digvijaya. He has clarified several times that he has no association with the RSS or the BJP. Given his stature his words have to be taken at face value. AFP
Just yesterday, he had asked the Gandhian why he was opposing the Congress and praising Narendra Modi who was not keen on having a Lokayukta in Gujarat. Earlier, he had claimed, attributing it to unreliable sources that the BJP had promised to make Anna the presidential candidate.

This is at a time when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Law Minister Salman Khurshid are busy mollifying the anti-corruption crusader. On Tuesday, Singh had promised Anna not only a strong Lokpal Bill but other reforms, particularly electoral reforms, as well. Khurshid had assured him that the Lokpal would be a constitutional body like the election commission.

Anna does not need to respond to Digvijaya. He has clarified several times that he has no association with the RSS or the BJP. Given his stature his words have to be taken at face value. Moreover, if the RSS supports him on its own, as the letter claims, he cannot be accused of being a Sangh Parivar supporter. It would be naive to believe that such a big movement is not far more broad-based in its appeal. The RSS could have been a force multiplier, nothing more than that.

That Anna and his team have got embroiled in politics rather unnecessarily, that it might be counterproductive and that it works against the Congress at this point are a separate set of issues. What is intriguing at the moment is the desperate attempt from the Congress to paint the Gandhian in saffron.

Is it the classic case of the government and the party working at cross-purposes? Or is it a deliberate effort from the party to confuse people? The Congress is not going to gain from confusing people. Possibly, it is too confused itself.

It is not possible that none in the party is aware of Digvijaya’s ill-conceived attacks on Anna. But no word of disapproval has been heard so far. It means he has the tacit support of the party high command for his action. He is allowed to shoot off open letters to Anna making bizarre allegations aimed at lowering his credibility. A loose cannon has its uses too.

Where does that leave the government? In the cold, surely. Even if it is sincere in its efforts in meeting Anna’s demands and building bridges with him, it cannot do much. Digvijaya’s efforts are bound to nullify its good intentions. He sends out the impression that the party is not in agreement with the government. His closeness to Rahul Gandhi further complicates matters.

The party and the government can ill-afford such confusion at this point. Both are at the lowest point in terms of public perception on the corruption front. Both have been seen to be bungling big time in the handling of Anna’s anti-corruption crusade. The recent developments reflect that they still have not worked out a way to handle the movement.

Steve Jobs helped me in my fight: Anna

NEW DELHI: Anna Hazare, who followed the crucial debate on Lokpal in Parliament on his iPad during his fast, has paid rich tributes to the gadget's creator Steve Jobs, saying his innovations have helped him in his fight for Jan Lokpal Bill.

"Steve Jobs will always be remembered for his unparallelled contribution to the world of technology. The news of his death is saddening," Hazare said in his latest blog posting.

Jobs, the co-founder of Apple which developed the iPad, died in New York on October 6 after fighting pancreatic cancer for years.

Hazare remembered Jobs as one of those who "sculpted the history of technology by bringing about a revolutionary change" that brought the world together.

"He enabled a line of direct inter-personal communication between people staying in different places at different levels. His contribution will be remembered forever. Jobs used his imagination and futuristic viewpoint as he worked on his research hence his revolutionary thoughts will always hold an important place in modern history," he said.

Acknowledging that technology has been helpful in organising people to fight against injustice and corruption, he said Jobs' innovations have brought about a revolutionary change.

"I have personally experienced this during my fight for Jan Lokpal Bill. Without any doubt, we will need it at every step of our life," he said.

"Though he is not present physically, his work has immortalised him forever. Here, I will quote Samarth Ramdas, a saint from Maharashtra, marave pari kirti rupi uraave (When a person is no more, he should be remembered for his work)," he said.

Hazare had on August 27, the 12th day of his fast in Ramlila Maidan demanding a strong Lokpal Bill, followed the crucial debate in Parliament over Lokpal Bill on his iPad.

"Bahut achaa hai (it is very good)," the 74-year-old Gandhian had then remarked as he watched the proceedings in his makeshift room at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.

Anna Hazare Says Steve Jobs Helped Lokpal Movement

High-profile folks across India, from billionaires to Bollywood actresses to the Prime Minister, joined the global chorus of tributes for Steve Jobs. Social activist Anna Hazare also jumped on the bandwagon — though perhaps a little late, given that the Apple co-founder and tech pioneer died last Wednesday.

India’s anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, right, and supporter Kiran Bedi
 watch parliament proceedings on an iPad on the 12th day of Hazare’s fast
against corruption in New Delhi, India, on Aug. 27, 2011

India’s anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, right, and supporter Kiran Bedi watch parliament proceedings on an iPad on the 12th day of Hazare’s fast against corruption in New Delhi, India, on Aug. 27, 2011.
Hazare took it a step further, praising the inventions Jobs helped create as revolutionary beyond the realm of technology, saying they played a role during his anticorruption campaign.

“Technology has been of great help for spreading awareness and organizing people and can be used as an effective tool for those who are suppressed and have to deal with injustice and corruption,” Hazare wrote in his blog. “Steve Jobs innovations have brought about a revolutionary change and are a great form of support. I have personally experienced this during my fight for Janlokpal Bill,” he added.

Hazare, 73, doesn’t come across as particularly tech-savvy. In fact, one of the few times Hazare crossed paths with an iPad was during his August fast, when policewoman Kiran Bedi used it to livestream the parliamentary debate on the Lokpal Bill. At the time, Bedi said Hazare was pleased with Apple’s touchscreen tablet. After the debate, she tweeted: “Shown Anna ongoing proceeding in Parliament on IPad as he does not have a TV in his room. He smiled and said ‘bahut achaa hai’,” Hindi for “it is very good.”

Anna Hazare was a catalyst for what needed to be done

Minister of state for communications and information techno-logy and twice-elected MP from Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot is amongst the Congress's Young Turks. Analysing the Jan Lokpal movement, the nation's mood and the path to reforms, Pilot spoke with Monobina Gupta on challenges the Congress faces:

How has the Anna Hazare-led Jan Lokpal movement affected the Congress? 

This government has committed itself to implementing the Lokpal Bill and ensuring the institution of a strong Lokpal. As a nation and a democracy, we have been able to reach an understanding. Thousands of victorious people left the Ram-lila Ground, convinced that our Parliament would work towards ending corruption.

Anna's taking up the issue and getting mass support resonated with the government, the party and Parliament. Rarely does a country with a democracy the size and scale of India take up an issue highlighted by an individual and his team. Rarely does it become a national issue, addressed in such forceful fashion within Constitutional and legislative propriety. Anna, no doubt, was a catalyst for what needed to be done.

But could the Congress have handled events better? 

From early this year, we were in touch with Anna's team mem- bers and Anna himself. I think a lot of issues were not understood - particularly the timeline Team Anna had in mind. In a democracy, you cannot circumvent certain issues. Anna's team understood this later. Importantly, red tapism and corruption are two different issues. A single Lokpal Bill cannot eliminate all ills. Accountability and transparency are as necessary as e-governance and digitalisation of government services in making a paradigm shift in governance.

What should the government's relationship with civil society and movements be? 

India is a country where protests, peaceful movements, divergent views have been the norm, rather than the exception. You need multiple voices - which is why our demo-cracy, riding out many problems, has flourished. It is the bureaucrats' job to draft Bills. But this time, we had civil society members as part of the drafting committee which included five ministers as well. Extraordinary circumstances demanded extraordinary measures.

Government and civil society have always engaged with each other. They should do so more in the future. We welcome suggestions, particularly from grassroots people on improving governance. But the consultative process must also protect the sanctity of Parliament and its legislative prerogative.

Has Indian democracy emerged stronger ? 

I certainly think so. The process of discussions, negotiations and talks made us more resilient. What could be better than a jubilant people conveying their sentiments to Parliament? It's a great lesson learnt.

Alongside politics, there are perceptions the Congress is going slow on economic reforms. Your view?
We require a guarded approach on how quickly and what areas to reform. A lot has been gained from the last two decades of reforms. At the same time, our cautious policies shielded us against global economic meltdown. Reforms are important - but we also must be mindful of tens of millions of people who need the government to reach out to them. Reforms do not mean giving up your constitutional obligation towards the poor. Social welfare and reforms should go hand in hand.

Those on the socio-economic fringes need support. The Congress needs to focus on them. At the same time, we have to also look after aspiring India - which wants more liberalisation.

Ex-CVC opposes Anna's formula, advocates 2T mantra

Opposing anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare's demand for Lokpal to curb corruption, former Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC) N Vittal said such a gargantuan authority could not function as there were chances of bureaucracy creeping into the system.

"We don't need a gargantuan institution like the Lokpal which is the base of Anna Hazare's agitation ... Ultimately who will ensure all officials under Lokpal are not corrupt? After all, they have come from the same system," Vittal said on the sidelines of the annual vigilance awareness talk organised by HAL here.

Stressing on the idea of ensuring right people occupying right posts, he suggested to follow 2T principle – Tranparency in selecting right people and There Is No Alternative (TINA) criteria which would impel selection of right people.

Vittal, however, gave credit to Anna Hazare's agitation which provided an opportunity to the middle class and the poor to vent their anger at corruption and lack of good governance.

He said corruption, if not addressed in time, could lead to the destruction of institution and erosion of credibility of establishments.

Vittal said a poor perception of integrity level in the country does not encourage a potential foreign investor.

The reason for prevalence of corruption in India was due to politicians wielding maximum power and influence, he said.

Anna Hazare supporters take out victory march

A victory march carried out by Anna Hazare supporters on Marina Beach on Sunday

The skyline behind the Gandhi statue was dotted with the tricolour, as hundreds of Anna Hazare supporters carried out a victory march on the shores of Marina Beach here on Sunday evening. The mood was euphoric as supporters congratulated each other and raised slogans in three languages praising their leader's efforts.

Eighty-one-year-old Appa Indravelu, the oldest in the group of persons who went on an indefinite fast earlier, held on to the national flag as he perched himself on a bike behind B. Suresh, a differently-abled supporter.

Volunteers from India Against Corruption – Chennai formed a human chain to keep the supporters to one side of the road so as not to obstruct traffic. The rally which saw the young and the old turn up in large numbers, also managed to rope in a few who were on an evening stroll on the beach.

“We have started discussions for our future plans,” said Bhavana Upadhaya. “The student community wants to take this movement to the villages to make people aware about the bill,” she added. Actor Raja Krishnamoorthy, who was part of the march, said there was a sense of happiness amongst the supporters in Chennai.

“This is the first obstacle in a long journey. We have only crossed the first hurdle which was undoubtedly the most challenging,” he said.

Earlier today, supporters carried out a rally from Haddows road via Anna Salai and Saidapet to the fast venue on L.B. Road.

Raising of slogans marked the celebration at the L.B. Road venue.