Bangalore: Government can ill-afford to ignore popular sentiment for Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign as otherwise it may have to pay a "heavy price", Santosh Hegde, Lokpal Bill drafting committee member, on Friday
said.
He said any sensible government should pay heed to the "feelings" of the people.
"Otherwise, just see what happened after the Emergency in 1977. A certain government in power may lose power", he told a news agency while flaying the government`s flip-flop on the detention of Hazare.
On Prime Minister’s statement that Parliament alone can make laws, the former Supreme Court judge, who till recently served as Karnataka Lokayukta, said it’s supreme to the extent that legislations can be passed by majority in the House.
"And the Prime Minister saying law can’t be made in maidan, law cannot be made through satyagraha...they are misleading the people. We are not making the law. We are (only) giving suggestions", Hegde said.
He said the government has to understand that Hazares campaign has no personal agenda; it’s all in the public interest.
He said the government should have also sent "our bill" (Jan Lokpal) to the Standing Committee of Parliament, in addition to the version cleared by the Cabinet.
PTI
