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NEW DELHI — On the eighth day of anti-corruption demonstrations, the Indian prime minister urged an activist to end his hunger strike and offered to request a parliamentary panel to discuss stronger legislation against graft.
In his first overture to Anna Hazare, the leader of the nationwide uprising against corruption, Manmohan Singh wrote in a letter that they shared the same goal but differed in their methods. Both wanted to “reduce significantly, if not eliminate, the scourge of corruption,” Singh wrote.
The letter was hand-delivered to Hazare, who is fasting in a large park in New Delhi. The park has become the epicenter of the expression of public rage at rising corruption.
After a series of backroom meetings Tuesday, Singh appointed Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee as the chief negotiator with Hazare’s aides.
After the first round of talks with Mukherjee, activists said that the discussions were inconclusive and that more meetings will be held Wednesday.
“Unless there is a written commitment or a direct commitment from someone in the government, Anna is not going to relent. I wish we had started these talks two or three days ago,” said Kiran Bedi, an associate of Hazare.
Singh’s government introduced a bill in Parliament this month to establish an independent anti-corruption ombudsman. But Hazare called the legislation “good for nothing,” because it denies the ombudsman the power to act against the prime minister, the judiciary and much of the bureaucracy. The protesters have demanded that the government introduce their version of such a bill, which gives sweeping powers to the ombudsman.
Hazare and his aides had set a deadline of Aug. 30 for the government to introduce their bill. In his letter, however, Singh emphasized “parliamentary supremacy and constitutional obligations in matters of legislation,” indicating that legislative procedures cannot be bypassed. But he offered to refer Hazare’s bill to the parliamentary panel examining the issue and assured that the process can be fast-tracked.
The campaign against graft snowballed into a massive movement after a string of big-ticket corruption scandals came to light since October. The ombudsman legislation has been pending for 42 years and has been introduced in Parliament several times but has never been passed.
“The ice has been broken. Deadlock has been broken. Talks have begun. We are all concerned about Anna’s health,” said spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who heads the Art of Living Foundation and supports the anti-corruption campaign.
Singh expressed “deep and abiding concern” for Hazare’s health, as alarm grew Tuesday after his aides said the activist had lost more than 12 pounds since beginning the hunger strike.
Doctors have advised that Hazare be hospitalized or be administered a glucose drip. But he refused both and appealed to the protesters to prevent the government from taking him to the hospital by force.
“Today is the eighth day, but there is nothing to worry. I have lost 5.5 kilograms, but there is no other difficulty,” a tired-looking Hazare said in his morning speech to thousands of cheering protesters. “I will consider myself fortunate if I lose my life in the service of the nation.”
The Prime Minister has written to Shri Anna Hazare on the Lokpal issue. The text of the letter is as follows:
Over the last few days, I have watched with increasing concern the state of your health. Despite the differences between the Government and your team, 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. I have no hesitation in saying that we need your views and actions in the service of the nation, from a robust physical condition and not in the context of frail or failing health.
I have maintained that your and our object is identical viz. to reduce significantly, if not eliminate, the scourge of corruption from this country. At worst, our paths and methodologies may differ, though I do believe that even those differences have been exaggerated. The Government is committed to passing a constitutionally valid and the best possible Lok Pal legislation with inputs from Civil Society with the broadest possible consensus. We are ready to talk to anybody. However, we will have to keep in mind Parliamentary supremacy and constitutional obligations in matters of legislation. As a Government we respect and are responsible to the Will of the Indian People as represented by Parliament.
As you are aware, the Lok Pal 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.
Nevertheless, in view of the concern repeatedly expressed by your team that the Jan Lokpal Bill version should be before Parliament, but more particularly and more importantly, in view of my deep and abiding concern for your health, our government is prepared to request the Speaker, Lok Sabha to formally refer the Jan Lokpal Bill also to the Standing Committee for their holistic consideration along with everything else. Furthermore, if you have any anxieties about time and speed, the Government can formally request the Standing Committee to try, subject to its discretion and the necessity to reflect deeply and spend adequate time on an important Bill, and fast track their deliberations to the extent reasonably feasible.
I would like to say that this letter and each suggestion herein is actuated solely by the twin considerations of deep and genuine concern about your health and the emergence of a strong and effective Lok Pal Act in accordance with established constitutional precept and practice.
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