Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar on Wednesday said that the people of this country should not expect the desired “magical outcome” against the menace of corruption by formulating and getting the Jan Lokpal bill passed in Parliament. The battle against corruption has to be fought simultaneously on all fronts, she emphasised.
Ms Patkar made this observation while talking to this newspaper on Wednesday. When asked about her reported statement criticising Anna Hazare for praising Gujarat CM Narendra Modi soon after she had stood backed him in his hunger strike in New Delhi to press for the Lokpal bill, Ms Patkar said, her statement notwithstanding, the fact is that along with her supporters, she continues to back Mr Hazare’s crusade against corruption. The present agitation against corruption has boosted people’s confidence and it is important that the struggle continues on a much broader scale, she added.