Jun 25, 2011, 05.01am IST
AURANGABAD: Social activists from across the country will meet in Wardha on July 3 to chalk out a broader course of action for future agitations and take the people’s movement beyond the Lokpal bill.
Economist HM Desarda, an associate of social crusader Anna Hazare, said the Hazare camp was skeptical about opposition parties’ support to the Lokpal bill drafted by civil society members, who were part of the joint draft committee.
“If all political parties had been in favour of a Lokpal, the proposal would not have languished for over 40 years,” said Desarda, a former member of the state planning commission.
Addressing reporters here, Desarda said not only the ruling UPA government, but the main opposition parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party and other regional parties did not want a strong independent institution like the Lokpal.
Desarda said all activists needed to agree upon a common minimum agenda for the movement. “A meeting to deliberate and decide the action-based agenda is scheduled on July 3 at Wardha. Social activists Medha Patkar, P V Rajgopal, Swami Agnivesh and other activists involved in water, forest and land-related movements will participate in the meeting. The meeting is being organised by the National Alliance for People’s Movement, Ekta Parishad and other social organisations,” he said.Desarda said the 2G spectrum, Commonwealth Games and Adarsh scams, which gave impetus to the demand for a Lokpal, were just the tip of the iceberg. “Without overhauling the present system, it would be naive to think that corruption would end by mere creation of the Lokpal, though it can be one of the necessary steps,” he said.