Curb rampant corruption, appoint Lokayukta: Agnivesh to Mayawati
http://twocircles.net/2011may01/curb_rampant_corruption_appoint_lokayukta_agnivesh_mayawati.html
By IANS,
Lucknow: Social activist Swami Agnivesh Sunday hit out at Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for the "rampant corruption" in her
government and asked her to appoint a Lokayukta (ombudsman) in the
state.
Reacting to Mayawati's objection over the absence of any Dalit on the
Jan Lokpal Bill drafting committee, Agnivesh said: "I do welcome her
objection and thank her for raising the issue, but I would also like
to ask the UP (Uttar Pardesh) chief minister to declare whether she
had taken any effective steps to curb the rampant corruption in her
government."
"If she were truly concerned about the plight of poor Dalits, then it
was time that she initiated concrete anti-corruption measures and one
of these could be to pass the new Jan Lokayukta Bill and have a Jan
Lokayukta in place in the country's most populous state," he said,
addressing a press conference with activist Arvind Kejriwal, a civil
society member of the Lokpal Bill drafting panel.
Kejriwal and Agnivesh arrived here Sunday morning along with satirist
Jaspal Bhatti to represent Anna Hazare, whose sudden illness prevented
him from visiting Lucknow to address a public rally Sunday evening.
Replying to questions, Kejriwal said the civil society activists have
"neither allowed any political party to share our forum nor do we have
any intention to associate ourselves with any political outfit in any
manner".
"There are good and bad people in all political parties, just as there
are good and bad people in the bureaucracy and other areas of
governance; therefore, if anyone with a clean reputation comes forward
in his individual capacity to extend support to this movement of the
common masses, we will accept such support," he added.
Reposing a lot of faith in the youth, Kejriwal said he would like to
call upon youth leaders in different political parties to raise the
issue of corruption.
Noting how Anna Hazare's movement had spread throughout the country,
he said: "As I speak here today, thousands of people are voluntarily
taking out marches and demonstrations in different cities of India to
express their support for Anna."
"As many as 6,000 people gathered at the Marina Beach in Chennai this
morning, while several thousands gathered in Mumbai, Pune, Jaipur and
a huge march that was taken out from Jantar Mantar to the Boat Club in
New Delhi to express solidarity with civil society a day before the
second meeting of the Lokpal Bill drafting committee Monday."
The committee comprises five cabinet ministers and five activists.
Earlier in the day, Agnivesh and Kejriwal were joined by leading local
activists including former Allahabad high court judges Kamleshwar Nath
and S.C. Verma, former state director general of police Prakash Singh,
among others for an interaction with intellectuals, professionals,
religious scholars and trade union leaders on the burning issue of
corruption.
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उर्वशी शर्मा
"सूचना का अधिकार " हेल्पलाइन: 8081898081
yaishwaryaj@gmail.com
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