Dear friends across India,
 We did it! On Saturday, the Parliament unanimously endorsed a strong Jan Lokpal: a historic victory for people-powered democracy in India! The Times of India called Avaaz "a key player in the Jan Lokpal initiative" -- thanks to the lakhs of Avaaz members who took action. Let's celebrate together and decide our next steps:  |
The Jan Lokpal proposal was initially slammed by many as naïve, and even subversive. But our movement caught fire across the country and together we turned the passage of an ambitious anti-corruption bill from impossible to unstoppable. The Times of India hailed Avaaz 'a key player in the Jan Lokpal initiative'. The bill still has hurdles to clear before becoming law, but if we stick together we can keep making history.
Over the last few months, Avaaz members have tirelessly taken action to strengthen the Lokpal, countering every effort to delay, weaken, and kill it. Let's share messages of congratulations and hope for a stronger, corruption-free India. Click here to celebrate our victory with others across the country and take part in a national poll to decide our next steps:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/lokpal_celebration/?vl
Here's a quick summary of the last four months in our amazing people-powered community in India:
'I would like to thank the people of India for their immense support' -- Anna Hazare 
Rapid-response action against the smear: We immediately reacted and fought the Government's smear campaign of civil society calling on PM Singh to stop the slander. We held the Government accountable for their dirty tricks and attempts to derail the anti-corruption movement, and days later the most direct and heated attacks vanished from the front pages of media.
Solidarity at India Gate: We joined a powerful citizen's march on May Day, culminating at India Gate in Delhi where candles were lit in the formation of 6,57,371 -- the number of Indians who signed the petition to demand a strong Jan Lokpal and symbolizing the hope of an entire country.
Direct high-level delivery of our message: Our call for a strong Lokpal was delivered directly to the first crucial meeting of the drafting committee, in front of the media. Civil society and media called the meeting cooperative and commented that, finally, the government was beginning to show its commitment to a strong anti-corruption bill.
6 ft Lokpal-cake: In a potent symbolic gesture of supporting good deeds, Avaaz members and children from the Salaam Balak Trust wearing khadi kurtas and Gandhi caps delivered a giant 6-foot cake with our petition numbers to Anna Hazare and other members of the drafting committee.
Our message resonates at the heart of Delhi's political life: We launched massive hard-hitting billboards near Parliament and across Delhi to bring our specific requests for a strong Lokpal to the streets.
Crunch time: In a last-minute attempt to water down the bill, the Government tried to remove the Prime Minister, Judiciary and sitting MPs from the Lokpal. We rapidly responded by flooding the inboxes of the PM, key Ministers and Sonia Gandhi with over 50,000 public comments and almost 20,000 faxes urging them not to kill the bill. They agreed to a conditional inclusion of the PM and promised to take our messages to the drafting committee.
India takes to the streets: An independent poll commissioned by Avaaz showed that the overwhelming majority of Indian voters wanted a ambitious Lokpal, with 48% ready to protest in the streets if the Government failed to pass a strong anti-corruption bill. When, finally, the Cabinet approved a toothless Lokpal draft for Parliament, thousands of us joined anti-corruption protests across the country, coordinated by India Against Corruption, sending the government a deafening message: we won't stop until we win!
Free Anna! On August 16th, as Anna Hazare prepared to leave his house to start a fast for a strong Lokpal, police arrested him. We surged again and together we delivered a 183,000-strong petition to PM Singh and Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi to free Anna and free India of corruption. His determination and our nation-wide protests forced the government to release him.
The whole country in protest: Last week, the people vs corruption reached its climax -- people poured onto the streets in solidarity with fasting Anna. The government tried to avoid a Parliamentary vote and discredit the movement, but we grew day by day and after 11 days of Anna's fasting, the Lok Sabha passed a historic Lokpal resolution!
Though the Lokpal has passed its biggest hurdle, it is far from finished. Our movement must remain vigilant as the bill goes through the Rajya Sabha to PM Singh's desk, and on into implementation. But momentum is on our side, and we, together, are creating a new force for hope and change. Let's take a moment to reflect on our successes and share our dreams of what we can do together for India tomorrow and in the years to come. Join the conversation and participate in a poll to decide our next steps in the fight against corruption:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/lokpal_celebration/?vl
The Lokpal story is amazing, but it's no fluke. Avaaz members in India are also part of an amazing 97 lakh-strong global community, which is racking up major victories every month across the world -- protecting internet freedom in Italy and Brazil, fighting media-corruption in the UK and Canada, supporting pro-democracy activists in the Middle East and beyond, and much more. Every day, our community joins hands to bring people power to global decision-making and step by step create the world we all want, at home and abroad. They said passing Jan Lokpal was impossible, but we've proved that together, there are no limits to what we can we achieve.
With hope and gratitude for this amazing community,
Ricken, Shibayan, Luis, Emma, David, Shivendra, and the Avaaz team
Media Highlights:
Times of India: profile of Avaaz campaigning:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-24/india/29922112_1_online-presence-political-parties-smaller-parties
Piece discussing the road to final Lokpal passage, The Hindu:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article2410132.ece
Article detailing the bill passed by Lok Sabha:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-27/india/29935401_1_lokpal-bill-team-anna-lokpal-and-lokayuktas
Avaaz decries cabinet's endorsement of a weak Lokpal Bill, Times of India:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-28/india/29829792_1_lokpal-bill-corruption-strong-bill
Citizens push to bring Prime Minister in Lokpal ambit, Times of India:
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-15/india/29661081_1_lokpal-ambit-lokpal-bill-ombudsman-bill
Support to Haraze's fast swelling in region, Times of India
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-07/varanasi/29391906_1_anna-hazare-end-corruption-bhu
How Web 2.0 responded to Hazare, The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/karnataka/article1685157.ece
Indian govt grapples with hunger-striker, AFP
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gMkMWCDZplyd4VPdiSFHSHe3T2Cg?docId=CNG.cd99c4a336c0b0cca52f7a33775a7f7e.491
Avaaz – the online activist network in The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/apr/24/avaaz-activist-network-rupert-murdoch
Avaaz feature article, Times of London
http://avaaz.org/times_of_london_feature
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