INDIA WINS AGAIN
Centre Agrees To Anna’s Demand For Lokpal Bill Committee
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: After a last-minute twist almost derailed a peace deal between Anna Hazare and the government, the Gandhian leader announced he would call off his fast at 10 am on Saturday with official negotiators accepting all his conditions.
Civil society agitators laying siege to Delhi’s Jantar Mantar where Hazare has been on fast for the last four days won a decisive battle. After holding out over a formal notification of a joint committee of activists and ministers, the Centre agreed to issue a government order that was accepted by activists.
Besides the joint panel comprising a 50:50 ministerial-activist composition, the government accepted Hazare’s offer of the committee being co-chaired. This is the only compromise activists agreed to after the government said it would concede the chair to Hazare’s group but no minister would then be on it.
Hazare said the co-chair formula was a middle path as he was keen that ministers be on the panel. “...it will make the government more receptive to agreeing to the draft,” he said. But it was not all smooth sailing. Before he finally told supporters, “You will be happy with what the government agreed to ye janata ki badi jeet hui (this is a big victory for the people)”, there were a few mis-steps as the deal that looked so tantalizingly close seemed to slip away. After the 6 pm meeting with Sibal, Khursheed and Moily, Hazare camp leader Swami Agnivesh said an announcement would be made by Anna. But at ground zero, backstage talks seemed to stretch on for ever before Hazare surprised by saying he was still on fast and awaiting a draft. GOVT STOOPS TO CONQUER
New Delhi: Government sources on Friday said the draft agreement on the Lokpal had been cleared by Anna Hazare. But there were divisions in his camp preventing him from calling off his fast.
“The government accepted all the conditions. It agreed that an official notification will be issued once Anna Hazare says his fast is over,” a source said.
A Hazare group leader saw things the other way around. Hazare’s breaking his fast is contingent on a satisfactory government order being issued. Once activists were satisfied that terms agreed to were honoured, the agitation would be over. Some activists in the Hazare camp have been insistent on a notification.
From the government, FM Pranab Mukherjee may be the co-chair and others are likely to include Sibal and Moily. Defence minister A K Antony is also being considered, while Moily will be convener. The panel could finish its work by June 30.
But after the thrills and some near spills, the surging crowd at Jantar Mantar and India Gate left no doubt about how the match had gone. It was clearly a hands down win for civil society. It looked like an innings defeat for the government that had only on Monday frostily expressed “disappointment” at Hazare’s decision to fast.
Hazare’s handsome victory seems a significant political milestone, marking the impact of popular opinion in a mediainfluenced age. It is the culmination of a string of corruption scams that placed graft at the political centrestage. It saw the ruling party worrying about a “JP-type” stir that turned tables on Indira Gandhi in the 70s.
As has been the case in the past, the turning point came with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s intervention on Thursday backing the demand for a strong anti-corruption law.
On Friday, the peace moves gathered momentum after a meeting at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s residence attended by Sonia.
Soon, it was evident the government was preparing to cut its losses and “stoop to conquer” as an official source put it. This saw Sibal telling the media that government and civil society were on the same page and that “this is a happy day for us. I express my gratitude to Annaji”.
The official announcement is now expected on Saturday as Hazare reacted to urgent messages assuring him that the government was hardly likely to go back on a deal it arrived at after considerable heartburn.
WAY CLEARED FOR LOKPAL PANEL
What’s The Deal
Two co-chairs of civil society-govt joint committee that will draft Lokpal Bill Govt to issue notification on committee, set out its objectives Panel membership to be split 50:50 between govt, civil society Bill to be tabled in monsoon session
Civil Society Nominees In Panel
Shanti Bhushan (co-chair), Anna Hazare, Arvind Kejriwal, Prashant Bhushan, Santosh Hegde
Likely Government Members
Pranab Mukherjee, AK Antony, Veerappa Moily, Kapil Sibal
All In A Day
PM, Sonia, ministers meet in morning Govt agrees to all Hazare conditions, drafts exchanged Deal finalized, govt to announce it after Hazare says he will break his fast Last-minute drama, Hazare says he will wait to see final draft. Then says he will end fast at 10am on Saturday
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