Anna to insist on video-recording

Hazare had demanded video-recording of the panel’s meetings to ensure transparency, but only audio-recording was done when it met on Saturday.

 “We came to know after the meeting that only audio-recording was done,” said Hazare, wondering: “What is the harm in video-recording?”  The veteran social activist then added that he would insist on video-recording of all the future meetings when the panel would meet next on May 2.

After Saturday’s meeting, Human Resource Development Minister, Kapil Sibal, told journalists that the discussions in the panel’s meets would be recorded and the representatives of both the Government and civil society would brief mediapersons after every meeting.

Eminent lawyer Prashant Bhushan, one of the representatives of the civil society in the panel, too echoed Sibal, apparently indicating that he and his colleagues had given up the demand for video-recording.

Hazare, however, raised the issue once again while talking to mediapersons on Sunday. “We were told about the drawbacks of telecasting the meetings of the joint drafting committee. So, we agreed on not telecasting the same,” he said, adding that the civil society representatives had not climbed down from their demand for video-recording for future reference. “I will insist on video-recording of the entire proceedings at the next meeting,” he added.