Lokpal Bill drafting committee are meeting as per schedule

The meeting to discuss an effective Lokpal Bill

Union ministers and civil society members of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee are meeting as per schedule in Delhi on Wednesday despite the ongoing verbal war between the two sides.

The meeting to discuss an effective Lokpal Bill comes after a spate of allegations and counter allegations over the June 4 police crackdown on yoga guru Baba Ramdev's satyagraha in Delhi.

The five non-government representatives in the drafting committee had boycotted the June 6 meeting after the Ramlila Maidan crackdown. Another meeting scheduled for June 10 was rescheduled for June 15.

Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare, who has been targeted by the Congress recently, will be part of the five-member civil society delegation.

Hazare and the Congress have of late sharpened their attacks on each other. After the Congress called Hazare an "unelected dictator", Minister for Civil Aviation Vayalar Ravi said he did not respect him. "I have no respect for such heroes," he said.

Hazare too accused the Congress of having forgotten the tenets of democracy. "The Congress has forgotten democracy. Is resorting to lathicharge at night democracy?" he said.

Four of the five UPA ministers who are part of the drafting panel held discussions with committee chairperson Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday. The civil society is likely to press for bringing the prime minister, judiciary and MPs under the ambit of the Lokpal.

Yours truly,
The Revitalization of Governance Forum
India.