Maharashtra bureaucrat meets Anna Hazare for back channel talks

Mangalore Today / IndiaTV

New Delhi, August 21 : The government has roped in a senior Maharashtra bureaucrat to open backchannel talks with Team Anna Hazare, The Times of India and Mumbai Mirror reported.

The report said, Umesh Chandra Sarangi, additional chief secretary of Maharashtra , met Hazare in what marked the first attempt at backchannel talks with the protester, who has tormented the government with his insistence for the passage of the Jan Lokpal bill.

 

 

The report said Sarangi arrived here at the insistence of two Union ministers from Maharashtra - power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and science and technology minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

Shinde and Deshmukh can claim to have some domain knowledge on Anna, having faced his anti-graft activism as chief ministers of Maharashtra . "The officer did not come with any concrete proposals. He wanted to know Anna’s stand on various issues and he was told of that,’’ a source said.

The outreach to Anna is seen as reflecting government’s calculation that the Gandhian can be persuaded to scale down his demands and to agree to meet the government midway.

Addl Chief Secy UC Sarangi has known the activist for 25 years and has previously negotiated with him and defused agitations
Umesh Chandra Sarangi, 59, is the additional chief secretary (home) and has known Anna for 25 years. He has negotiated with Anna on several occasions and defused agitations.

In May this year, Sarangi and Chief Secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad played a crucial role in persuading Anna to give up his agitation in Delhi.

Sarangi has served in Cooperation and Agriculture departments and was also principal secretary to former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. He was also the chairman of NABARD but had to quit after an adverse judgement from Uttarakhand High court.

The UPA government called chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and sought Sarangi’s services. He flew to Delhi on Thursday and met Anna in jail.Sarangi met the crusader again on Saturday when Anna reportedly agreed to amendments in the Lokpal Bill as per his advice.

A top official of the state government said, “Sarangi has repeatedly told Anna Hazare that Lokpal establishment will be a very independent one. It will have an independent set up with an investigation wing and a director (prosecution) and even a court. Team Anna wanted the CBI to come under the ambit of Lokpal, but was told that the Lokpal would have an independent wing.’’

During negotiations Anna constantly said that the Prime Minister should be brought under the ambit of the law, but the government feels that if this is done, there will be a political crisis as anyone could raise complaints against the PM with the Lokpal. The government has maintained that complaints against PM can be made once he demits office.

Sarangi told Team Anna that the Lokpal will be appointed by the President and the selection committee will have the PM, two leaders of opposition in parliament, a chief justice of the High Court, one of the Supreme Court, one professional and this process will be completely independent.

However, the union government is not willing to bring the judiciary under the ambit of the Act as it feels that it is the hallmark of democracy. Sarangi told Anna that the Centre will soon bring a judiciary accountability bill.