Finally govt. has released the audio recordings of Jan Lokpal joint committee meeting. This was supposed to be released soon after the last meeting on Jan Lokpal. Unfortunately govt. backtracked on its commitment to do so.
Team Anna had demanded live video recordings of the meeting so that public are made aware of the developments of the meeting, but they had to settle for audio recordings with promise of the govt. to release it after the last meeting. But govt. sternly denied it to be released after all meetings were over by 30th June 2011. In August an RTI was filed by an ordinary citizen (Subhash Chandra Agarwal) asking for the recordings and it was again denied, giving reason of law ministry has to give a go ahead for the release of the same.
Now it is finally been released after 3 months of last lokpal meeting. The timing of release is raising doubts in my mind about possibility of foul play here. The timing is important from the point of view of Hisar bypolls in Haryana where Team Anna is campaigning against voting for Congress, as a retaliation for not supporting an effective & strong lokpal. Congress is taking this fight seriously. It is highly likely that certain parts of the recordings could be doctored or edited to put Team Anna in bad light and confuse people and divide the support for Team Anna.
I haven't yet heard the recordings and neither Team Anna has certified on the authenticity & accuracy of the same. Looking at the kind of govt. running this country such possiblities could not be ruled out. This will all be clear in couple of days.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/listen-audio-of-lokpal-drafting-panel-meet/191798-37.html
Update: 07th Nov 2011
Though the recordings were not doctored, they were blanked and truncated at several places. Specially recordings for 6th and subsequent meetings. 6th meeting was on 8th June 2011, when Team Anna boycotted the meeting because of police action on Ramdev's supporters on 4th June 2011 in Ramlila Maidan. The final 10th meeting was completely missing. Despite repeated requests by Team Anna to make the recordings public or at-least be given to them was rejected and no assurance on the same was given.
In the whole proceeding of the meetings govt. team was playing a defensive role of how they are helpless and why nothing substantial can be done to prevent massive corruption in the country. On the other side Team Anna giving suggestions of how a strong anti-corruption system should look like and how it needs to be made transparent and effective. For e.g., team Anna was in favor of having jurisdiction of Lokpal for all the officers of govt., where else govt team wanted it only above Group A officers. Govt. argument was that it is impractical to create an organization which is capable of taking corruption complaints of 4 million or so govt. officials. That's the challenge which has to be dealt with, instead it is made as an excuse for helplessness.
Now, the standing committee has broken down Lokpal into 5 bills, and govt. have gone even backwards then what was started with these meetings. Congress dirty tricks department is active again with the task of maligning Team Anna to break down the movement and prevent the repeat of August revolution. This activities gives an impression that Anna will be going for another fast after winter session, as the govt. does not seems serious and committed for a strong anti-corruption law in the country. Everyone knows Congress will never prepare a noose for their own neck. So future turn of events are going to be quite volatile and this govt. has to fall if we want a clean governance in our country.
Team Anna had demanded live video recordings of the meeting so that public are made aware of the developments of the meeting, but they had to settle for audio recordings with promise of the govt. to release it after the last meeting. But govt. sternly denied it to be released after all meetings were over by 30th June 2011. In August an RTI was filed by an ordinary citizen (Subhash Chandra Agarwal) asking for the recordings and it was again denied, giving reason of law ministry has to give a go ahead for the release of the same.
Now it is finally been released after 3 months of last lokpal meeting. The timing of release is raising doubts in my mind about possibility of foul play here. The timing is important from the point of view of Hisar bypolls in Haryana where Team Anna is campaigning against voting for Congress, as a retaliation for not supporting an effective & strong lokpal. Congress is taking this fight seriously. It is highly likely that certain parts of the recordings could be doctored or edited to put Team Anna in bad light and confuse people and divide the support for Team Anna.
I haven't yet heard the recordings and neither Team Anna has certified on the authenticity & accuracy of the same. Looking at the kind of govt. running this country such possiblities could not be ruled out. This will all be clear in couple of days.
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/listen-audio-of-lokpal-drafting-panel-meet/191798-37.html
Update: 07th Nov 2011
Though the recordings were not doctored, they were blanked and truncated at several places. Specially recordings for 6th and subsequent meetings. 6th meeting was on 8th June 2011, when Team Anna boycotted the meeting because of police action on Ramdev's supporters on 4th June 2011 in Ramlila Maidan. The final 10th meeting was completely missing. Despite repeated requests by Team Anna to make the recordings public or at-least be given to them was rejected and no assurance on the same was given.
In the whole proceeding of the meetings govt. team was playing a defensive role of how they are helpless and why nothing substantial can be done to prevent massive corruption in the country. On the other side Team Anna giving suggestions of how a strong anti-corruption system should look like and how it needs to be made transparent and effective. For e.g., team Anna was in favor of having jurisdiction of Lokpal for all the officers of govt., where else govt team wanted it only above Group A officers. Govt. argument was that it is impractical to create an organization which is capable of taking corruption complaints of 4 million or so govt. officials. That's the challenge which has to be dealt with, instead it is made as an excuse for helplessness.
Now, the standing committee has broken down Lokpal into 5 bills, and govt. have gone even backwards then what was started with these meetings. Congress dirty tricks department is active again with the task of maligning Team Anna to break down the movement and prevent the repeat of August revolution. This activities gives an impression that Anna will be going for another fast after winter session, as the govt. does not seems serious and committed for a strong anti-corruption law in the country. Everyone knows Congress will never prepare a noose for their own neck. So future turn of events are going to be quite volatile and this govt. has to fall if we want a clean governance in our country.
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