CIF applauds India on peaceful dialogue re. National Ombudsman (Lokpal) Bill

Toronto, Canada, September 1, 2011: Canada India Foundation (CIF) applauded the Government of India and representatives of India’s civil society for achieving an amicable resolution to the introduction of the Ombudsman (Lokpal) Bill in the Indian parliament.

“The peaceful, democratic and transparent manner in which both parliament and the followers of Gandhian activist Anna Hazare, dubbed Team Anna, dialogued the merits of their versions captivated not just the people living in India, but people around the world, who followed the events through print, visual and social media” said Barj Dhahan, Chair, CIF. “The complete lack of any violence from either side during the entire 12 days that Mr. Hazare fasted to get Parliament to consider his version (Jan Lokpal Bill) is a testimony to the people of India and to the spirit of the “Father of the Nation”, Mahatma Gandhi”, added the Co-Chair of CIF, Deepak Ruparell.

Rahul Shastri, National Convenor, CIF congratulated the Indian Parliamentarians for their leadership in bringing about a peaceful conclusion to this matter and commitment to bring about the necessary legislative changes to tackle corruption, enabling the Indian people and economy to progress. “This was a shining example of how public policy can be debated and implemented.” he said.

Canada India Foundation (CIF) is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization formed to foster support for stronger bi-lateral relations betweenCanada and India; to educate Canadians on the changing face of India; and to increase the participation of Indo-Canadians in the public policy process inCanada.