Hazare threatens protest if Lokpal Bill not strong

In a bid to build pressure on the Parliamentary Standing Committee, Anna Hazare has decided to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi if the panel does not come up with strong recommendations on Lokpal Bill.

Team Anna sources said on Monday that the 74-year-old activist will lead the protest at Jantar Mantar if the Standing Committee does not come up with strong provisions in the bill, which it is looking into.

"It all depends on the Standing Committee proposals. Anna is planning to sit on a protest in Jantar Mantar on December 11 depending on the Standing Committee recommendations," a senior Team Anna member said.

The Parliamentary Panel on Lokpal Bill is likely to submit its report before December 7.

Team Anna has been insisting that the lower bureaucracy, higher judiciary, provisions for citizen charter and setting up of Lokayuktas in state level be included in the ambit of Lokpal Bill.

The panel is divided on the inclusion of prime minister under the ambit of the anti-corruption watchdog and will take a call on the issue at its meeting this week, its chairman Abhishek Singhvi has said.

A consensus on the inclusion of the Prime Minister under the purview of Lokpal has so far eluded the panel with members sharply divided on the issue.

Singhvi said 25 issues including those concerning media, corporates, non-government organisations, lower bureaucracy and citizens grievances have been "comprehensively dealt with" in the report.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel and Law and Justice scrutinising the Lokpal Bill had on November 24 ended its internal deliberations with "broad consensus" on most of the issues including giving constitutional status to Lokpal.