Bring Lokpal Bill or go, Anna tells govt
A supporter blows a conchshell at Jantar Mantar on Sunday.
Taking on the government, Gandhian Anna Hazare on Sunday declared, “We will show what is the power of the Jan Lokpal Bill. I am a ‘fakir’. I will show them how much strength a ‘fakir’ like me has.”
In a clear indication of the plan of Team Anna to spearhead an anti-Congress campaign, Mr Hazare said that the party will have to quit power if it did not pass the Jan Lokpal Bill. “Bring Jan Lokpal or go out of power in 2014 general elections,” said Mr Hazare. “This government neither has any intention nor does it have any political will to bring a strong Lokpal Bill. We will have to keep struggling,” he added. “We have to pressurise the government,” he further said, adding that the people have to close the “nose of the government so that its mouth is opened”.
In what could be interpreted as a nascent move at forming a cadre, Team Anna exhorted people to form groups of 15-20 each in their respective cities, towns and villages and hold regular meetings on issues listed on their website. “It will be a long fight. First we have to get Jan Lokpal, then Right to Reject followed by power for gram sabha and then farmers’ rights,” said Mr Hazare, adding that his supporters will take part in Ramdev’s campaign and vice versa.
Though Team Anna primarily targeted the Congress-led UPA government, several prominent Opposition leaders like SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, AIADMK chief and Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, BJP leader and former Karnataka chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa were accused of corruption. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s name was also mentioned in the context of the killing of a whistleblower recently in Gujarat.
Mr Hazare also said he will tour all states to spearhead a movement for the Jan Lokpal Bill, while also explaining allegations levelled against the Union ministers to the people. Mr Kejriwal claimed that out of a total of 4,120 MLAs in all the state Assemblies 1,176 of them are facing criminal charges and sought setting up of a fast-track court to complete their trial in six months’ time.
Setting the political tone for Team Anna, former Union minister Shanti Bhushan speculated that there could be a mid-term poll any time next year and sought to build a campaign in a way, that “those 543 candidates getting the backing of Anna win the elections”. Mr Bhushan even patted the Team Anna for ensuring that the Congress did not do well in the state elections.
The day-long fast was also attended by former Karnataka Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi and RTI activist Manish Sisodia.
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