2011 parliamentary debate on anti-corruption legislation
Encyclopedia
The 2011 parliamentary debate on the proposed anti-corruption legislation was a debate in both houses of the Indian parliament carried out in response to an indefinite hunger strike by Anna Hazare
. The debate lasted nine hours and ended in MP
s expressing support for the changes proposed by Anna Hazare. The Rashtriya Janata Dal
chief, Laloo Prasad Yadav raised questions about the debate itself and objected strongly to the idea of extra-parliamentary forces imposing a debate on the parliament. The debate was made possible after the government summoned Vilasrao Deshmukh
to act as a courier between them and Anna Hazare. Kicking off the debate, India's finance minister Pranab Mukherjee
noted that India was at a crossroads and all attention was on Indian parliamentary democracy. All three of Anna Hazare's conditions - establishing of Lok Ayuktas at state level, a citizen’s charter, and inclusion of the lower bureaucracy in the Jan Lokpal bill
were accepted by both houses of the parliament at the conclusion of the debate. While the parliament did not conduct a voice vote or pass a resolution directly addressing Anna Hazare's demands, a direct consequence of the debate's outcome was the end of the Anna Hazare's thirteen day hunger strike.
Anna Hazare
Kisan Baburao Hazare , popularly known as Anna Hazare is an Indian social activist and a prominent leader in the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi...
. The debate lasted nine hours and ended in MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
s expressing support for the changes proposed by Anna Hazare. The Rashtriya Janata Dal
Rashtriya Janata Dal
The Rashtriya Janata Dal is a political party in India, based in the state of Bihar. The party was founded in 1997 by Laloo Prasad Yadav. The party came about as a result of Lalu Prasad Yadav, ex-president of Janata Dal, being evicted by Sharad Yadav, the then president, on corruption charges ...
chief, Laloo Prasad Yadav raised questions about the debate itself and objected strongly to the idea of extra-parliamentary forces imposing a debate on the parliament. The debate was made possible after the government summoned Vilasrao Deshmukh
Vilasrao Deshmukh
Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh , popularly known as Vilasrao is the current Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences....
to act as a courier between them and Anna Hazare. Kicking off the debate, India's finance minister Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Mukherjee
Pranab Kumar Mukherjee is the current Finance Minister of India and leader of the current Lok Sabha.Mukherjee is a senior member of the Cabinet Committees on Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Parliamentary Affairs, Political Affairs, Prices, Security, Unique Identification Authority of India,...
noted that India was at a crossroads and all attention was on Indian parliamentary democracy. All three of Anna Hazare's conditions - establishing of Lok Ayuktas at state level, a citizen’s charter, and inclusion of the lower bureaucracy in the Jan Lokpal bill
Jan Lokpal Bill
The Jan Lokpal Bill, also referred to as the citizens' ombudsman bill, is a proposed independent anti-corruption law in India. Anti-corruption social activists proposed it as a more effective improvement to the original Lokpal bill, which is currently being proposed by the Government of India.The...
were accepted by both houses of the parliament at the conclusion of the debate. While the parliament did not conduct a voice vote or pass a resolution directly addressing Anna Hazare's demands, a direct consequence of the debate's outcome was the end of the Anna Hazare's thirteen day hunger strike.