ANNA

Neha Kedia, Media Trainee, MassCoMedia

After a nonstop 98 hour fast unto death, Social activist, Anna Hazare was successful in getting the Government to agree on his terms and conditions towards the formation of Joint Drafting Committee for the Lokpal Bill.

Hazare called of his fast on Saturday morning when government agreed to issue an official order to set up a 10-member joint committee of ministers and civil society activists to draft a new Lokpal Bill. The drafting panel is to be headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and include Hazare himself as one of the member from the crusading camp. The panel has given the deadline of June 30 to complete its work so that the Bill can be introduced in the monsoon session of the parliament.

Facebook, Twitter and Short Message Service (SMS) played an important role in making people aware and urging them to fight against corruption. Arvind Kejriwal, the prominent member of the crusading camp, said that the idea to use Facebook and Twitter came from the protests of Egypt and Libya to communicate with the masses and making people to take some action against corruption.

Anna Hazare employed Gandhian way of protest against corruption in India. Last time when Anna sat on fast­ in 2006, Central Government withdraw its proposal to amend Central RTI Act; in 2002, Maharashtra RTI Act was passed; 400 corrupt officers were dismissed from job; six corrupt ministers in Maharashtra had to resign. “Anna hazare is reborn as Gandhiji. So I am supporting him through my brush by making a potrait of Gandhiji” Tabrez Alam, a painter who came from Bihar said.