Letter to PM for Jan Lokpal (English Translation)

(English Translation)

Honourable Dr. Monmohan Singhji,

Prime Minister, Government of India

Subject: Regarding letter no. D.O.NO.407/67/2012-AVD-IV (B) Dated 24 July 2013 sent by your office, promising to table Jan Lokpal Bill in this session.

Dear Sir,

In your above-mentioned letter you have promised that efforts are being made to table Jan Lokpal Bill in this Monsoon Session of Parliament. Now the Monsoon Session has been concluded but Jan Lokpal Bill has not been tabled. The people of country, who were waiting hopefully, once again get nothing but stark disappointment.

There is a provision in the Constitution that if a bill is cleared by Lok Sabh but not cleared by Rajya Sabha for more than six month, then the President on the recommendation of the Cabinet can call a joint Session of Parliament.

Had the Government been sincere, it could have taken this path for the Jan Lokpal Bill. The pervasive corruption in the country has made lives of common people miserable. It is corruption that is at the root of ever-increasing inflation. From the money meant for the development work not even 10 paise out of 1 rupee is spend on the programme it is meant for. How the country will develop?

That was the reason why the people of the country decided to bring forth Jan Lokpal law. When on 16 August 2011 I started my hunger strike at the Ramlila Ground, demanding a powerful Jan Lokpal law, the people from all over the country had jumped into the movement; millions were on the road in support. This was because the issue on which I was on hunger strike was the inner voices of 120 crore people. And this was the reason that for the first time since attainment of Independence such a large number of people, especially the youth, came out on the streets. The youth of the country wish to build a corruption-free country.

Whenever millions of people come out on the streets, the clouds of danger hover over the government. Perhaps sensing this danger, a parliament session was called and a resolution was passed on 27 December 2011 in Parliament to bring about legislation for Citizen Charter, bring officers of class A to D under the ambit of Lokpal, and enactment of Lokayukta act in every state.

In your signed letter of 27 December 2011, you had informed me that a resolution has been passed and Parliament has arrived at a consensus on all three issues, and that we’ll get Jan Lokpal Bill immediately passed in the Winter Session. Since then one session after another passed and the third Winter Session is approaching, but the Jan Lokpal Bill could not see the light of day.

I broke my fast trusting your letter. Had I been aware that your Government will cheat 120 crore people of this country, I would not have broken the fast.

The Government has got the Land Acquisition Bill, the Food Security Bill, the bill enabling one to contest elections even after being languished in jail and the Pension Bill passed from this session of Parliament, but the Jan Lokpal Bill has not been tabled. Obviously, the government does not wish to table the Jan Lokpal Bill. On many occasion I have written letters to you in this regard, but the government keep pointing its finger towards Rajya Sabha.

If after being passed unanimously from Lok Sabha on 27 August the bill could not passed even in two years from Rajya Sabha, then it can be infer that the government is blocking it willfully.

In the past the Jan Lokpal Bill was tabled in Parliament in 2001, 2005 and 2007 when your party was in power but could not get it passed. And the only impediment in the way of passage of this bill is lack of will power of the government. Again the bill has been sent to Rajya Sabha for its accent after being passed unanimously from Lok Sabha on 27 August, and now it is stuck in the Select Committee of Rajya Sabha. It is not being moved forward by design.

As per the constitutional provision the honourable President on recommendation of the Cabinet could have called a joint session of Parliament when the Jan Lokpal Bill could not passed from Rajya Sabha in more than six month time. Our Constitution favours such steps. But the government is willing to enact Jan Lokpal Bill; therefore it has deliberately stalled the bill.

I humbly request to you by convening cabinet meeting urge the honourable President to convene joint session of both the houses of Parliament, which should be only for a powerful Jan Lokpal. This can save from the stigma of deception.

But Jan Sansad is superior to both the government and Parliament. Once again will go to the Jan Sansad through people and tell them how the government deliberately stalled the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Once again I will exhort people to initiate a movement similar to the Ramlila Ground Movement of  16 August 2011 all over the country. The people of the country have awakened, the youth has awakened. This is high time to build a corruption free India. It is time to struggle for the country.

On the first day of the commencement of the winter Session of Parliament when I’ll start my hunger strike, once again people have to express their support by coming to the Ramlila Ground.

Similarly they have to participate in the movement of their respective states, Districts, tahsils and villages. Now we have to get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed. Once again we have to initiate (spread) a movement similar to that of 16 August 2011. Every citizen of the country has to participate in this movement.

K.B. alias Anna Hazare