CANDLE LIGHT PEACE WALK IN SUPPORT OF JAN LOKPAL BILL

IndiaAgainst Corruption (IAC) is a citizen's movement to stop corruption by creating a strong Jan Lokpal institution. The first step in creating a Jan Lokpal is to create a draft Lokpal bill. This has to be then voted and approved by Parliament so that the institution can be setup. Lokpal bills have been introduced several times since 1968, yet the Indian Parliament and the various political parties have not shown the political will to create the Lokpal. Therefore, the Lokpal has never been setup till now.

Due to the negligence of several governments in setting up the Lokpal, the corruption and harassment faced by the ordinary people have increased, and enormously large scams leading to the loot of valuable public resources and the siphoning away of hard-earned tax payer money from more than a billion Indians by the so called powerful and corrupt have become very common.

Veteran social reformer, development advocate and activist Anna Hazare demanded a strong Jan Lokpal to be implemented by going on a hunger strike at JantarMantar in New Delhi. He was supported by several leaders and by Indian citizens all over the world. Bowing to the public pressure the Government of India constituted a 10-member Joint Committee consisting of 5 ministers and 5 prominent citizens known as members of the civil society to draft an effective Jan Lokpal Bill. 

Once the meetings began, the civil society members found that the ministers were not only disagreeing to several basic and important requirements of an independent and effective Lokpal, but also on simple procedural matters important for the Indian public such as broadcasting the proceedings of the meetings on Television for better transparency. After several meetings the ministers rejected the joint draft they had been working together on and decided to draft their own version called as the 'government's draft'.

Detailed analysis of the government's draft seems to indicate that it may actually increase corruption instead of controlling corruption. Further those citizens who are the victims of corruption and who protest or complain against specific cases of corruption are likely to get very little support from the system, be harassed or even jailed (Refer: http://www.kiranbedi.com/jlp.pdf). The draft bill was called a 'hoax' by Anna Hazare and many people refer to it as a 'jokepal'. 

The government is expected to present its draft of the Lokpal bill to Parliament in the next few days. Therefore, Anna Hazare met and told SoniaGandhi that in case the government does not place a strong and effective Jan Lokpal before Parliament and make it into law, he will have no option but to resume his hunger strike. He also reaffirmed his commitment to give up his life in the service of the nation for a strong Jan Lokpal and a brighter future for India.

Now, we are at an important stage of the movement. Thanks to the support that people have provided and there has been enormous progress. But much more needs to be done. The movement is still in the middle indecisive phase, and India Against Corruption needs your continued and active participation in this movement to make it a success. 

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for people to do something for their motherland, for the society, for the generations to come. This will be a change in the way a country progresses, this will be an eye opener for the world, and this cannot be left behind now. Each person's support and contribution matters. Each of us has to keep our differences aside and work tirelessly towards the common goal of a corruption free India.

Today I was part of the "CANDLE LIGHT PEACE WALK" held at Malaysian Township, Hyderabad, India. I'm also posting a video with few of the glimpses from today's march in Support of Jan Lokpal Bill. I hope people from all over the India Join the movement for the "Corruption Free India". 

Remember, Unity Is Strength And Together We All Can Make A Difference !!