They regretted that the Prime Minister and Standing Committee of Parliament have not given them appointment to submit their Bill and so far that has not been communicated.
“The government is not treating us at par with Anna Hazare Civil Society and this is proved by the fact that so far we have not been consulted and nothing communicated to us” said Udit Raj, Chairman of All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations adding that he could draw a bigger crowd than Anna Hazare at Ramlila.
“The Govt. Bill which is pending for consideration before the Standing Committee of the Parliament is not strong enough to book the corrupt. The way the govt. is considering the features of all three bills – Government Bill, Jan Lokpal Bil and NCPRI Bill, the suggestions of Bahujan Lokpal Bill also be considered”, they said in a joint statement.
They said that their version of Bill suggests inclusion of Corporate Houses, NGOs and Media in the ambit of the Bill, without their inclusion there will not be much impact to check graft.
“In the Lokpal Committee, the representation of Dalits, Backwards and Minorities should be there, as it is in the government services. These communities are apprehensive that if this committee is constituted without giving them due consideration, it is more likely that dalits, backwards and minorities’ officers and leaders will be targeted on pick and choose basis,” they said in a joint statement.
The signatories on the statement include, Chairman of All India Confederation of SC/ST Organizations- Dr. Udit Raj, Sr. IAS -P.S. Krishnan, Peace Party leader- Yusuf Ansari, Urdu Sahara Editor -Aziz Burney, Social activists – Shabnam Hashmi, Mast Ram Kapur, Dilip Mandal, All India Christian Council leaders- John Dayal, Bishop MS Screakriaf and Madhu Chandra, President of Shoshit Samaj Dal Akhilesh Katiyar, Sr. Advocate Subba Rao, Gen Secy of IJP- C. P. Singh, Prof. Akhter Mehandi and others.
At the press conference Dr. Udit Raj asked Anna Hazare as why he kept mum when North Indians in Maharashtra and Muslims in Gujarat were targeted and brutalized?
He was also asked to express his views on reservation for dalits. If his civil society leaders do not trust the representatives who are elected by lacks of people then how the honesty and impartiality of Lokpal can be guaranteed?
“No doubt there is too much corruption in politics but it is more by the blessings of Corporate Houses. At least, there are checks on peoples’ representatives and that is seeking the mandate of people again and again but those deterrents are not there in case of Lokpal”, he said
Social activist Shabnam hasmi said that the whole ‘drama’ was being done to divert attention from Hindu Terrorism. “Anna is not Secular and Gandhian as being projected by media and some leaders in parliament” she said.