Anna to address on electoral reforms

NEW DELHI:Six years after an anti-corruption led by him took the entire country by storm, Anna Hazare is here in the national Capital to press for a debate on electoral reforms at a time when the credibility of the Election Commission is being questioned by political parties in the wake of a sweeping performance by the Bharatiya Janata Party in recent state elections.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 15

Six years after an anti-corruption led by him took the entire country by storm, Anna Hazare is here in the national Capital to press for a debate on electoral reforms at a time when the credibility of the Election Commission is being questioned by political parties in the wake of a sweeping performance by the Bharatiya Janata Party in recent state elections.

The seminar, which is being organised on Sunday by a group of activists under the aegis of India Against Corruption Volunteers Association (IACVA) led by Hazare, is going to take up burning issues, such as transparency in political funding, bringing political parties under the ambit of Right to Information Act, 2005, corruption in media vis-à-vis elections, to do away with election symbols from EVMs, and to bar tainted politicians from entering electoral fray, among others.

In a statement released here, the veteran social activist said it is high time that the debate be shifted from academic domain to the public domain.

He called upon the Central government and all the political parties to take measures to check corruption, which is fast corroding the country.

In a joint statement IAC Volunteers Association's chairman Chandrasekhar Sankaran, national convener Sunil Lal, coordinator East P.N. Kalki, coordinator North Karnvir Thamman

and coordinator South Ravi Krishnamurthy told media that speakers from across the disciplines from across the country are participating in the seminar.

Prominent speakers who are going to address the seminar are former Chief Election Commissioners of India from Chennai TS Krishnamurthy and Dr N Gopalaswamy, ex-IAS and Founder Loksatta from Hyderabad Jaya Prakash Narayan, Founder Trusty ADR and Ex-Faculty IIM Ahmedabad from Delhi Prof Jagdeep Chhokar, writer and film maker from Mumbai Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, senior Supreme Court lawyer and former solicitor general Fali Nariman, and as Special Guest Legal Advisor, Election Commission of India SK Mendiratta and K.G Rao.

NOTE: Following the posting of the above report, a communication was received from Sarbajit Roy, national convenor, India Against Corruption, which stated:

"We clarify that the so-called 'India Against Corruption Volunteers Association' mentioned in the report are a group of persons who were expelled from Aam Aadmi Party in 2015 along with Shri Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, and who have brought Mr. Anna Hazare to New Delhi to make allegations against Aam Aadmi Party before the MCD elections of 23 April. These persons are imposters of IAC who are misusing our name for electioneering purposes on behalf of Swaraj India. IAC is a non-political body, and we strongly object to utilisation of our well known name in connection with Mr. Anna Hazare or for political motives."