Just one bill can't rid India of graft: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi broke his conspicuous silence on Anna Hazare's agitation on the 11th day of the activist's indefinite fast, marking his troubled party's strongest move yet to grab the initiative.

A day after the PM appealed to Hazare to end his fast, Rahul stepped up and attempted to give a coherent shape to his party's approach to the issue. In its absence, the litany of errors by the party's functionaries and spokespersons was becoming embarrassingly long.

While Rahul praised Hazare and said he had helped people articulate their disillusionment, the young leader said the activist's demand can only be one step in fighting graft. He had "serious doubts" about the idea that corruption can be eradicated by the "enactment of a single Bill".

"We cannot wish away corruption by the mere desire to see it removed from our lives. This requires a comprehensive framework of action and a concerted political programme supported by all levels of the State - from the highest to the lowest. Most importantly, it requires firm political will," he said.

While Rahul's speech was rich on policy directions, it did little to address the urgent issue at hand - defusing the Anna fast crisis.

"An effective Lokpal law is only one element in the legal framework to combat corruption. The Lokpal institution alone cannot be a substitute for a comprehensive anti-corruption code. A set of effective laws is required. Laws that address the following critical issues are necessary to stand alongside the Lokpal initiative: Government funding of elections and political parties; transparency in public procurement; proper regulation of sectors that fuel corruption like land and mining, grievance redress mechanisms in public service delivery of old age pension and ration cards and continued tax reforms to end evasion," he said.