BANGALORE: Former Lokayukta N Santosh said that anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has told him that the Union Government will not take any decision immediately on the Jan Lokpal Bill as the residents of 10 Janpath are in America.Addressing the agitators at the Freedom Park, he said, “Anna told me that he wants to talk to the people who can take decisions and not to the chaprasis who will go back to consult the decision makers after talking for sometime. Let the bill be drafted here in Ramlila Maidan in front of the people instead of getting it drafted in 10 Janpath.”Hegde also said that he is not willing to budge from his resolve to fast until the bill is passed as the government went back on their promise earlier made in April.“They said that they will form a committee to discuss the bill, but eventually they drafted the bill in a way that will help them to manipulate Lokpal. The government has differences in the processes of selecting and removing the Lokpal members. They want the power of nominating the members and removing them,” he said.“The representatives of the government are claiming that only one or two crore people of around 120 crore population of the country, are demanding the Jan Lokpal Bill and therefore it is not appropriate to say that the entire country wants it. They do not know that many people who have not come to participate in the protest also want the Jan Lokpal Bill,” he observed at the protest.Criticising leaders for accusing Anna Hazare of trying to destabilize the parliamentary democracy, Justice Hegde said, “Our constitution clearly says that it is framed by the people of India and not by the MPs. By the virtue of the citizen of India, one has a right to criticise or praise the bill that has to be enacted.”“Similarly, one has a right to demand changes in the bill. No one can take away this right from the citizens of this country as they are the most powerful entities in the country,” he further said.
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