New Delhi: Criticising the Parliamentary Standing Committee for ignoring the sense of the House resolution passed in August, 2011, Team Anna on Sunday joined anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare in his day-long token fast flaying the Standing Committee for its Lokpal Bill draft.
Prominent members of Team Anna like Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Kumar Vishwas joined the fast along with Anna at Jantar Mantar in the national capital.
Kejriwal said that the CBI is not being used as an anti-corruption unit but a tool to run coalition governments.
"Are we living in democracy? Standing Committee ignored all demands of the people. MP's ask party high command for the type of bills and laws they want, the people's demand has no place. We want the government to ask the Gram Sabha for the type of law that they need and not the High command," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal also requested West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to lend her support for a strong Lokpal Bill.
Team Anna member Kiran Bedi claimed that the government has cheated people by presenting a weak Lokpal draft, saying "we never wanted 'inquirypal' but investigatingpal".
"I hope the Parliament will reject the report of the Standing Committee on Lokpal bill. Hope we get a strong Lokpal Bill and see the dawn of a true democracy," Bedi said.
Congress party spokesperson Rashid Alvi said that Anna Hazare is denigrating Parliament and laws are made in Parliament, not at Jantar Mantar.
"Anna himself said that he will wait till winter session is over. There is not even a debate in Parliament on Lokpal. Anna is denigrating Parliament," Alvi said.
Putting pressure on the government, Anna began his day-long token fast at Jantar Mantar to press for a strong Lokpal Bill on Sunday. "My fast has begun. I will not speak much now," he told his supporters as he also chanted 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram'.
Clad in his trade-mark white kurta and Gandhi cap, Hazare was received at the protest venue with a thunderous applause and sloganeering by his supporters who had gathered at the venue braving the morning chill.
Before beginning his one-day fast at Jantar Mantar in the national capital, Anna Hazare, accompanied by his team member Kiran Bedi, visited Rajghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.
Anna Hazare has returned to the national capital for what is his third fast on the Lokpal issue for the year.
Slamming the Parliamentary Standing Committee report on Saturday, Anna reiterated his demands for the inclusion of the lower bureaucracy and merging the CBI with the Lokpal and now he has invited the leaders of all political parties to participate in an open debate to state their stands.
All political parties except the UPA allies have agreed to join debate in public on the Lokpal issue at Jantar Mantar. NDA leader Arun Jaitley and CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat reached Jantar Mantar to participate in the debate.
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