NEW DELHI: Anna Hazare now wants the government to make gram sabhas above Parliament In a pre-recorded video message in Hindi to participants of a seminar titled ‘Rebuilding the Republic’ organized by Team Anna, the septuagenarian anti-graft crusader demanded that the government must bring in legislation empowering village councils above Parliament.
Decrying Parliament’s failure to enact the Lokpal legislation in its winter session, Hazare went on to warn Parlialment of an another mass agitation if it did not bring in legislation to empower gram sabhas. “The Lok Sabha thinks it is above everyone. This is wrong. People have made you. So they are above you. What happened in the Rajya Sabha on the last day (of the winter session) on the Lokpal Bill? Five hundred and fifty people were giving their own suggestions but nobody asked the people,” he said in his 30-minute address. He added, “So we need another law. The Assemblies and Lok Sabha think they are above the gram sabhas. But gram sabhas are above you. We need a new law which gives such power to gram sabhas.”
Hazare said what happened in the Rajya Sabha on the last day of winter session was wrong. “The elected members were giving their views on their own. This is not right democracy. Why this happened? Because the masters were sleeping.
Hazare expressed his inability to travel due to health reasons and exhorted the people to vote for a strong Lokpal in the Assembly polls in five states.
On the 63rd Republic Day, Hazare said a new law is required so that a panchayat can be dismissed for spending money without consulting the gram sabha.