Rahul's Concern for Anna Hazare

Rahul Gandhi Congress Leader and Genral Secretary of Indian National Congress and Parliamentarian broke his silence on Anna Hazare's agitation on the 11th day of the activist's indefinite fast, marking Congress's strongest move yet to grab the initiative ,a day after the Prime Minister had appealed to Anna Hazare to end his fast. Rahul Gandhi stepped up and deliberated to give a coherent shape to his party's approach to the corruption issue. Rahul praised Hazare and said he had helped people articulate their disillusionment, the young leader said the activist's demand can only be one step in fighting graft and further submitted that he had serious doubts about the idea that corruption can be eliminated/finished by the "enactment of a single Bill". Corruption cannot be washed away by the mere desire to see it removed from our lives and it t requires a comprehensive framework of action and a concerted political programme supported by all levels of the State - from the highest to the lowest. It requires firm political will, he said. While Rahul's speech was rich on policy directions, for - defusing the Anna fast crisis. Effective Lokpal law is only one element in the legal framework to combat corruption and the Lokpal institution alone cannot be a substitute for a comprehensive anti-corruption code and factually a set of effective laws is required. Laws that address the following critical issues are necessary to stand alongside the Lokpal initiative: Government funding of elections and political parties, transparency in public procurement; proper regulation of sectors that fuel corruption like land and mining, grievance redress mechanisms in public service delivery of old age pension and ration cards and continued tax reforms to end evasion," he said. Rahul Gandhi suggested that the Lokpal be given more teeth and just like the Election Commission , Lokpal should be a constitutional head and this can be done by presenting in the Parliament the Constitution Amendment Bill .Mr Somnath Chatterjee ex Lok Sabha Speaker , Mr. T N Seshan ex Election Commissioner of India,Rahul Gandhi have aired the same view. Ms Mayawati has categorically stated that Anna Hazare should end his fast and fight thte General Elections 2014 and after winning the elections he may bring a bill of his choice. She has disapproved portions of the Jan Lok Pal Bill. The Parliament of India shall meet at 11.00 A M on 27.08.11 and take up all the Bills namely Government lokpal Bill . Jan Lokpal Bill, J P Narayans draft, Aruna Rai draft, and Sri T N. Seshans Bill. It may be submitted Rahul Gandhi was worried that Parliament should not be undermined and wrong /bad precedents should not be allowed to destroy the Parliaments supremacy.We all are eagerly awaiting the Parliamentary debate on the issue.