'Hazare's bill will lead to a floodgate of complaints'

People from all walks of life took to the streets in Patna to express their support for activist Anna Hazare and his demand for the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Hundreds participated in a march in Patna while others staged a dharna, held a candle-light march and continued their fast.

A group of students from the Patna University, who had joined the march with placards and banners, shouted slogans in support of the Gandhian.

Reportage: M I Khan in Patna

"We have come out in support of the anti-corruption movement led by Hazare. All of us are frustrated by the rampant corruption at all levels," said Saurabh Singh, a student.

Kiran Bala, who lectures in a local college, had participated in the movement spearheaded by Jaiprakash Narain against the Indira Gandhi-led government in 1974.
 
She pointed out that the people's support for Hazare's movement showed the wide-spread discontentment with corruption.

"People have taken to the streets to express their anger by supporting the anti-corruption movement led by Hazare," she told rediff.com.

N K Choudhary, a professor of economics at Patna University, mobilised hundreds of students to stage a demonstration on Friday against the failure of the Centre to tackle corruption.

"It appears that people's overwhelming support for the anti-corruption movement may turn it into something similar to the JP movement," Choudhary said.

Rampant corruption, inflation, unemployment and frustration have given an opportunity to people to support Hazare's movement, believed Choudhary.

While doctors of the Patna Medical College and other hospitals organised a march to support Hazare, lawyers of the Patna high court continued their protest by sporting white badges.

Incidentally, Patna also witnessed a handful of people protesting Hazare's initiative.

Students of a premier law institution -- the Chanakya National Law University -- claim that the Jan Lokpal Bill has several drawbacks. A group these would-be lawyers gathered at Kargil Chowk near Gandhi maidan to discuss the matter with the 15-odd people who have been on a fast in support of Hazare.

"Hazare's version of the Lokpal Bill amounts to an attempt to change the basis tenets of the Constitution," said Nishikant Bibhu, a fourth year CNLU student. He also opposed the proposal of bringing the prime minister and the judiciary within the Bill's ambit.

Another CNLU student feared that, "Bringing the prime minister and judiciary within the purview of the Lokpal would lead to a floodgate of several unwarranted complaints against top officials, hampering their work. The prime minister will be busy providing clarifications on the applications rather than doing the work he has been elected for."

Another student, Parul Kumari, pointed out that bringing the prime minister under the Lokpal's purview would add to the burden of the exchequer because a separate department would have be created to deal with the applications and maintain the files.