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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Strong campaign for Kiran Bedi may backfire by Rajeev Deshpande

Strong campaign for Kiran Bedi may backfire by Rajeev Deshpande

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published Published on Nov 5, 2009   modified Modified on Nov 5, 2009

A known enemy might be better than over-zealous friends. The high-pressure campaign by civil society activists for the candidature of former cop Kiran Bedi as chief information commissioner may hurt her prospects with government wary of the fierce lobbying.

The aggressive campaign to rope in activists and celebrities to back Bedi is seen as a bid to force the government's hand over the appointment which is to be finalised through a consultative process involving both Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Leader of Opposition L K Advani.

The letters written by campaigners to the PM and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi could turn out to have been somewhat hasty as India's first woman IPS officer runs the risk of being seen as a nominee of a vocal section of activists. The government seems inclined to balance demands of activists as well as other opinions that have been aired over the next CIC.

The letters have been written by RTI campaigner and Magsaysay winner Arvind Kejriwal, social activist Anna Hazare, actor Amir Khan and Narayana Murthy of Infosys among others and have asked the government to explain how it had made a better choice in the event that Bedi was overlooked. They also expressed concern that gains of RTI may be lost.

Well-placed sources said fears of RTI being "rolled back" were misplaced as the CIC would be appointed with due care and diligence. "The UPA government has enacted this powerful legislation empowering the common man. It will not take a decision that hurts RTI or sets the clock back. UPA wants to make it more effective," they said, pointing that government would ensure the next CIC enjoys wide acceptance.

As consultations are expected to gather momentum, it is felt the argument that only a civil society choice should be considered may not find sufficient traction. For one, the views being expressed are those of a section of the non-government spectrum and then the experience of inducting "outsiders" has been mixed. There was no reason why members of the judiciary or goverment should be ruled out at the starting stage itself.

While Bedi has worked within the system and is a popular public figure, she has had her run-ins with the government. There has been a trend of commissions and quasi-constitutional bodies advocating points of view that seem to reflect their "constituencies". The commission should not be seen to have been appropriated by one set of activists or opinion. In fact the healthy growth of RTI was dependent on a robust CIC but not one bent on confrontation as some of Bedi's backers seem to suggest.


The Times of India, 5 November, 2009, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Strong-campaign-for-Kiran-Bedi-may-backfire/articleshow/5197600.cms
 

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