Anna ill advised, says Aruna Roy

On a day when a Parliamentary standing committee has called for suggestions from the public on the Lokpal Bill, Aruna Roy has urged Anna Hazare and his team to present their demands before the committee to make the bill strong and effective. HT reports.

On a day when a Parliamentary standing committee has called for suggestions from the public on the lokpal bill, social activist Aruna Roy has urged Anna Hazare and his team to present their demands before the committee to make the bill strong and effective.

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Roy, who is associated with National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI), and who played a crucial role in bringing out the RTI Act, has requested Team Anna not to deride democratic institutions.

"We have to understand the way institutions in a democracy function. Our views would be different as we look at the issue standing at different positions. But there are certain ways to protest or engage (in settling the issue). We must make these democratic institutions work for

us and they must work for us," Roy said.

"In a democratic government, we have to work out a law through the Parliament," said Harsh Mander, another National Advisory Council member.

Reacting to how Anna has sat on a fast, setting deadlines for the government, Roy said Anna was “ill-advised”.

"There was scope for civil society to change the government’s version of lokpal bill," added Roy.

Roy also criticised Team Anna's view that sending the government bill to a standing committee was a waste of time.

"I still believe that if we all go and depose before the standing committee and sufficiently with well-stacked arguments, we can change the bill around because the government bill leaves a lot to be desired. It is a bad bill," said Roy, who is also a member of the NAC.

Activists said they will present a version of the bill as prepared by the NCPRI before the Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Personnel. NCPRI also stated that its members are in touch with political parties like the Left and Telugu Desam Party, which on Thursday announced that they will campaign for an effective lokpal.