Nationwide referendum on Jan Lokpal from today
Keeping up the pressure on law-makers, India Against Corruption group will begin a nationwide referendum on the Jan Lokpal bill from Sunday.
By Himanshi Dhawan, TNN |
NEW DELHI: Keeping up the pressure on law-makers, India Against Corruption group will begin a nationwide referendum on the Jan Lokpal bill from Sunday. The survey will kickstart from the constituencies of major political leaders in Uttar Pradesh, including those of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Murli Manohar Joshi, and Samajwadi Party boss Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Incidentally, the survey includes only two questions -- should the concerned Member of Parliament support the Jan Lokpal bill and whether the individual will vote for his or her MP if the latter does not support the bill.
Amongst the constituencies where the survey will start on Sunday are Ghaziabad, Kaushambi, Hamirpur, Mainpuri, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Varanasi, Lucknow, and Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. It has already begun in BJD leader Pinaki Mishra's constituency of Puri (Orissa), BJP MP Kirti Azad's constituency of Darbhanga (Bihar) and RJD leader Lalu Prasad's constituency of Saran (Bihar).
"Our MPs say that they represent the people. With these referendums we want to tell the elected representatives what people's opinion on the Lokpal bill is," Sanjay Singh, IAC member in UP said. A minimum of one lakh people will be surveyed and the group plans to finish the surveys by the winter session of Parliament.
The team also plans to begin campaigning in the Hissar byelection against candidates who do not support the Jan Lokpal bill.
Members of Team Anna will not have any direct role to play in these referendums and the entire process will be monitored by people who were associated with Hazare's recent movements.
A similar survey was carried out by Team Anna in July in Union minister Kapil Sibal's constituency of Chandni Chowk where it was claimed that an overwhelming 85% of people had favoured the Jan Lokpal Bill. Sibal, who was locked in a war of words with Team Anna, had ridiculed the survey, saying he was surprised why the support was not 100%.
Favouring a national referendum on the issue, Anna Hazare had said the government will have to listen to the voices of the people.
Incidentally, the survey includes only two questions -- should the concerned Member of Parliament support the Jan Lokpal bill and whether the individual will vote for his or her MP if the latter does not support the bill.
Amongst the constituencies where the survey will start on Sunday are Ghaziabad, Kaushambi, Hamirpur, Mainpuri, Rae Bareli, Amethi, Varanasi, Lucknow, and Ambedkar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh. It has already begun in BJD leader Pinaki Mishra's constituency of Puri (Orissa), BJP MP Kirti Azad's constituency of Darbhanga (Bihar) and RJD leader Lalu Prasad's constituency of Saran (Bihar).
"Our MPs say that they represent the people. With these referendums we want to tell the elected representatives what people's opinion on the Lokpal bill is," Sanjay Singh, IAC member in UP said. A minimum of one lakh people will be surveyed and the group plans to finish the surveys by the winter session of Parliament.
The team also plans to begin campaigning in the Hissar byelection against candidates who do not support the Jan Lokpal bill.
Members of Team Anna will not have any direct role to play in these referendums and the entire process will be monitored by people who were associated with Hazare's recent movements.
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A similar survey was carried out by Team Anna in July in Union minister Kapil Sibal's constituency of Chandni Chowk where it was claimed that an overwhelming 85% of people had favoured the Jan Lokpal Bill. Sibal, who was locked in a war of words with Team Anna, had ridiculed the survey, saying he was surprised why the support was not 100%.
Favouring a national referendum on the issue, Anna Hazare had said the government will have to listen to the voices of the people.
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