“Most speakers said the government should not tolerate the pressure tactics of some self-styled persons in the name of civil society,” Congress General Secretary Janardan Dwidevi said while briefing the media on the CWC meeting. He said there was unanimity among the members on the issue.
Notably, the Congress call for tough stand against civil society came in the wake of the failure of the Joint Drafting Committee, comprising five civil society members and five government representatives, to evolve a consensus on the draft anti-graft legislation.
Noted Gandhian Anna Hazare, leading the crusade against corruption, announced his decision to go on a second fast against corruption from August 16 after differences on various sections of the proposed bill derailed formulation of an “effective” Lokpal Bill.
Friday’s CWC meeting, held at the 10 Janpath residence of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Home Minister P Chidambaram and Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, among others. The meeting was attended by all the 30 members of the committee.
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