Hazare pulls crowds as rally starts from Juhu beach, Sushma Swaraj initiates Lokpal debate

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The Lok Sabha on Tuesday began discussing the much-debated Lokpal bill that envisages setting up of an anti-corruption ombudsman in India.

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj initiated the debate.

Even the Prime Minister appeared confident before entering the Parliament.

"Had we not been confident, we would not have introduced it," he told reporters while entering Parliament just ahead of the consideration of the crucial bill by the Lok Sabha.

According to sources, various opposition parties have moved 56 amendments to the contentious bill that was introduced by the government last week.

The key amendments include giving the Lokpal an investigative wing, setting the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) free from the government's administrative and financial control and making it optional for states to set up Lokayuktas.

This is not the first time Lokpal bill has been introduced in parliament. Earlier, many governments have introduced similar legislations but they were opposed by MPs at the introductory stage itself.

The first time a Lokpal bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha was in 1968.

The government is confident of getting the Lok Sabha's nod for the bill as it enjoys majority in the lower house. However, the worry for the government is in the upper house where it doesn't have the requisite numbers.

All major parties have directed their MPs through issuance of whips to be present in the house for the debate and voting.

Parliament is meeting December 27-29 in an extended session to debate the bill.

Meanwhile, in Mumbai

Several thousand people have joined social crusader Anna Hazare as he started a rally from Juhu beach to the MMRDA ground in Bandra-Kurla Complex here where he will sit on a three-day hunger strike for a strong Lokpal.

Hazare had come to Juhu beach to pay his respects at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi, signalling a symbolic start to his agitation. Surrounded by a posse of security personnel, he prayed at the Gandhi statue, and smiled and waved to his supporters.

Flanked by Team Anna members Kiran Bedi and Arvind Kejriwal, Hazare boarded an open truck decorated like a political 'rath' for the rally as several activists raised slogans in his name and cheered him.

The truck, led by a group of motorcyclists and many cars, besides hundreds of supporters walking in the morning chill, moved its way through the approximately 15-km route to the protest venue.

It moved through the busy roads of Juhu, Santacruz, Khar and other areas where some of the most glamorous and powerful people live.

Earlier this morning, Hazare was greeted with black flags soon after he stepped out of a government guest house in Bandra to proceed to Juhu beach to launch his strike.

The activists, numbering nearly two dozen, showed black flags and shouted slogans even as Hazare's security personnel whisked them away from his route.

Barring this protest incident, the stage was set for Hazare's three-day agitation for a strong Lokpal bill. The Maharashtra government and security personnel were ready to make it a smooth and hassle-free affair, an official said.