The Team Anna on Saturday emphasised that Jan Lokpal Bill will not create any “superpower, contrary to the fear expressed by the bill’s detractors.
A key member of the Team, Arvind Kejriwal, denied that it was not willing to negotiate with the government over the Jan Lokpal bill.
Speaking at the conclave ‘Goa Think Fest’ here, Mr. Kejriwal said, “Wrong impression is being created that we are adamant and not willing to have a dialogue. After the first draft, there has been a series of seminars across the country... We received 3,000 comments after the draft was advertised on the website. After that, there have been 14 versions of the draft.”
He also said the bill would not give rise to an all-powerful institution. “A wrong impression is being created that this Jan Lokpal is going to be a super power,” he said, adding that under the bill, a person would have the right to move the Supreme Court and seek sacking of the Lokpal, if the anti-corruption authority became corrupt.
He denied that anti-corruption movement was turning into an anti-Congress movement.
“We have been asking the Government of India to enact a strong Jan Lokpal bill for the last one year. Government has been doing politics. If we say that don’t vote for the government if it doesn’t act, than what’s wrong with that?”
Had BJP been in power, and acted in the same way, Hazare’s team would have asked people not to vote for BJP, Mr. Kejriwal said, adding that “It’s a perfectly legitimate part of the democracy.”
