Civil society members of the joint drafting committee for the Lokpal Bill will write to all political parties explaining their stand and that of the government, as differences with the government members over the scope of the proposed anti-graft watchdog flared.

The move comes in the wake of the government accusing Anna Hazare and other civil society members on the panel of exerting undue pressue on the drafting process with their campaigns.

Claiming that the government was spreading misinformation, the civil society members said that they will undertake all efforts to keep the process transparent.

“The government is neither including the opposition nor its UPA constituents in the drafting of the Lokpal bill. We will engage the political parties and tell them about what is happening inside the meetings,” Arvind Kejriwal, a member of the panel, said here on Monday.

Kejriwal shot down the government's contention that the civil society members were siding with certain political parties, namely the BJP and the RSS, saying that the government itself was behaving like an "elected despot or dictator."

Team Hazare also announced the launch of an IVR (interactive voice response) enabled hotline for the people to call and get the latest updates of the joint committee meetings and the opinion of the 'India Against Corruption' group. The multi-line number (0-92-12-12-31-12) will be available 24/7.

"This number can be used to get our views on the disputed points in the joint drafting committee as wqell as our response to the controversies being created in the public, " a press release from the civil society camp said.

Kejriwal warned that the Lokpal Bill could prove to be the litmus test for the government.

“Unfortunately, a party (Congress) which considers itself as the political legacy of Mahatma Gandhi is reviling civil society movements and fasting as anti democratic…That is why they now talk of ‘countering’ civil society movement against corruption. Will they counter it by a movement for corruption?” said the prominent acivist in an oblique reference to finance minister and fellow-committee member Pranab Mukherjee's comment. Mukherjee had earlier stated that civil society agitations and fasts were undermining established institutions of democracy such as Parliament.

Kejriwal also pointed out if government fails to draft the bill in the stipulated time frame than the civil society groups will start another protest movement in the country against corruption.

He alleged that the government mebers rarely made arguments at the meeting, announcing "decisions" instead.

“This is why we want a televise debate of the meeting proceedings,” he added.

The next meeting between government and civil society is on June 15. The team has also written to the prime minister, seeking an explanation as to why his office should be left outside the ambit of the Lokpal office.

Earlier report:

Team Anna writes to PM

Says living his office out of the Lokpal's office will be "retrograde"

The Anna Hazare camp today wrote to prime minister Manmohan Singh to push for inclusion of his post in the ambit of Lokpal, arguing that a step otherwise would be "retrograde".

They also took on finance minister Pranab Mukherjee for accusing the civil society of trying to undermine democracy and said his statement betrays a "distorted understanding of democracy and arrogance of power".

Two days ahead of the next meeting of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill, its five activist members, including Hazare, sent a letter to Singh alleging that the government seems to be shrinking the scope of the anti-corruption regime.

"Taking the prime minister out of the ambit the Lokpal would be a retrograde step," the letter said.

In order to take the prime minister out of the purview of the ombudsman, the government will need to amend the constitution and grant him immunity similar to that enjoyed by the president, they said. They asked if the government is planning to do that and why.

The letter also mentioned that Mukherjee as chair of the standing committee on Lokpal in 2001 had himself recommended that prime minister should be covered under Lokpal and then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had agreed to that.

Civil society activist Arvind Kejriwal told reporters that the prime minister himself had earlier said he will have no problem in being under Lokpal but his ministers are saying otherwise. "Is there a disconnect between them," he asked.

Terming it "mysterious", Hazare and four other civil society members in the Lokpal panel said, "We are wondering what happened post March 2011, which prompted the government to suddenly take a U-turn on this issue. Till now the prime minister could be investigated by the CBI.

"Why should an honest prime minister like you (Manmohan Singh) be scared of being investigated by an independent Lokpal?" they said in the three-page letter.

Taking on Mukherjee for his comments against the civil society that it will become a circus if the committee proceedings are televised, Prashant Bhushan said by saying this whether the finance minister was hinting that the parliament proceedings were a circus.

"The government says they can't make the proceedings public or have a live telecast of the joint committee meetings as it will become a circus. There is live telecast of parliament proceedings. Does the prime minister and government think it is a circus in parliament?" he said.

Asked why they were not pulling out the drafting committee as there was so much of mistrust, Kejriwal said they have to work with this. "At least, we can put on record our dissent note," he said.

On the allegations that Hazare was getting support of BJP and RSS for his agitation, Kejriwal termed it "unfortunate" on the part of a senior like Mukherjee to raise such allegations without evidence. "I can also raise such baseless allegations but I won't stoop to such levels," he said.

Kejriwal also took potshots at the finance minister for trying to "belittle" the civil society by terming them a crowd of 5,000-6,000, saying if it was just that number, why the government started talking to them.

Read Anna Hazare’s letter to the PM below.

(PTI)

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Anna Hazare today also accused the office bearers of Congress and union ministers of intentionally "defaming" the Lokpal movement and emerging NGO sector in the country.

"They (the government) making lot many allegations, including the so-called hidden support and political agenda designed by RSS and BJP, is a sheer humiliation of sentiments of the common Indians. They are trying to demoralise and confuse agitators fighting against corruption and this proves insensitivity of government," Hazare said.

Hazare also said that he had written a letter to Sonia Gandhi to draw her attention towards the "mudslinging" ahead of the next meeting of the Lokpal draft committee in Delhi.

The anti-corruption crusader, who turns 74 on June 15, was felicitated here by an NGO last evening.

While expressing his resolve to start hunger strike if the centre fails to enact the Lokpal bill in stipulated time, Hazare said, "No one can stop the emerging social and political change in India. Now people have realised that they have to become agents of change and must not rely only on leaders and political parties."

He also reiterated his resolve to start hunger strike if the government goes back on its commitment to Lokpal Bill.

The civil society activists, led by the Gandhian, had last Monday boycotted the meeting of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal bill saying government's intentions raised serious doubts about having a strong anti-corruption watchdog and protesting against the police crackdown on Baba Ramdev.

(PTI)