Kasaragod : Sri Keshavananda Bharathi, head of the centuries-old Edneer Mutt in Edaneeru near Kasaragod and the seer who legally challenged Parliament’s constitutional amendment on the right to property bill in the 1970s, said in Mumbai  that both the government and Team Anna should not stand on their ego or prestige.
 
Veteran activist Anna Hazare’s indefinite fast to press for a stronger Lokpal Bill entered its 12th day as the government decided to discuss the issue in Parliament on Saturday.

Anna Hazare is a precious diamond for us and he should remain for several years and lead the country’s movement against corruption. We do not have any other leader today of his stature and nature, the seer said.

“He is a true Gandhian,” he added. Taking this into consideration, if the government is really serious in rooting out corruption, they should immediately withdraw the weak Lokpal Bill, he also noted.

“Please do not stand on personal prestige. I would also personally request Anna to withdraw the fast as we need him. Today the entire country is behind him,” the seer said.

The 70-year-old seer shot into fame for his petition in  the Supreme Court against a constitutional amendment which led to a landmark decision by the apex court in the 1970s on the right to property. The government had planned to take away a large part of Kerala temple estates as a violation of the right to property.

The Supreme Court’s judgment defined the extent to which Parliament could restrict the right to property while following land reforms and redistribution of large holdings to tenants.

The late and celebrated Nani Palkhivala appeared for the seer in front of the Constitutional bench for 53 days continuously.

The pontiff said, “As I did years ago, the Anna team should take legal course and immediately move the Supreme Court and get a stay on the proposed Lokpal Bill. The Supreme Court should then appoint an all-party committee which should also include Anna’s team members and frame a fresh and very strong Lokpal Bill.”

In the meanwhile, he added, the government should urge the apex court to immediately form a special court to deal with only corruption cases with a time frame of six months to solve and impose a stringent jail punishment for the culprits.

The government should also immediately put on hold all the discretionary powers of the ministers, MPs and bureaucrats. This itself will reduce the corruption, the seer said.

Keshavananda was in Mumbai at the Sankara Mutt in Matunga to observe the Chaturmasya Vrat.