Gandhian Anna Hazare on Sunday asked the government to institute an inquiry against his trusts if it smells corruption in their administration.
Mr Hazare reiterated this demand at a time when a section of the ruling coalition has become active in collecting information about the alleged irregularities committed in Mr Hazar’s trusts in Maharashtra to weaken his campaign against corruption and a strong Lokpal Bill.
He told a group of reporters that he had earlier written to the government (Maharashtra) to probe the charge of financial irregularities committed in his Hind Swaraj Trust and had even undertook a fast for the purpose. But the UPA insiders are maintaining silence on whether the government will go ahead with the findings of Justice P.B. Sawant inquiry commission in this regard.
Meanwhile, Mr Hazare plans to tour states in the Hindi belt, starting from Uttar Pradesh, in a bid to launch campaign against corruption and mobilise people’s support for the Lokpal bill. He said he will undertake a tour of 20 states beginning this month-end at Lucknow to take the message of fight against corruption to the people.
Corruption has become the main issue in almost all major states irrespective of which party is in power.
He favoured stricter laws for government servants, including one that made declaration of assets compulsory for everyone. For politicians, he said the law should have provisions for automatic launch of investigations if there was a large difference in the assets declared by them between two consecutive elections.
He made it clear that he is open to wider consultations on the Lokpal bill and is also willing to involve the political leadership of the country. “We have to take everyone into confidence, including the political class. If they have doubts we will discuss with chiefs of political parties,” he said.
He said he was open to discuss other drafts of the Lokpal Bill which the government had said it has received from various other organisations. He admitted that corruption would not end with the passage of the Lokpal Bill, but it would definitely help curb such practices to some extent.
He also suggested scrapping of the MPLAD fund and similar schemes for legislators in state legislatures. PM Manmohan Singh, former LS speaker Somnath Chatterjee have been against the MPLAD fund but the Centre has increased the amount in the budget session.