Anna Hazare is back in the capital, and fuming. Addressing the media at the Maharastra Sadan along with all his colleagues, he slammed the UPA government and said he would personally campaign against the Congress in the five assembly elections early next year if the Jan Lokpal bill was not passed.

He praised Uttarakhand chief minister BC Khanduri for getting the model Lokayukta bill passed, even as he clarified that he was praising what a chief minister could do, and was not praising his party, BJP. He in fact added that there was no difference between the BJP and the Congress.

Referring to the two bills the government has promised to introduce in the winter session of parliament, the whistleblower bill and the citizen’s charter, the 72-year-old Gandhian said the government was trying to break down the Jan Lokpal bill, as these two aspects were already part of the legislation proposed by Team Anna.

He repeatedly criticised the government for doing nothing to pass the anti-corruption bill. “Inki niyat saaf nahi hai,” was his refrain.

He said his team has shown in the Hisar by-election last month what the civil society was capable of – “we campaigned against the Congress and its candidate even lost the deposit”, and threatened that in the upcoming assembly elections including in the crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, he himself would go out and campaign against the main ruling party if the strong Jan Lokpal bill was not passed by then.

Anna thus ended his 19-day old ‘maun vrat’, which he had undertaken to improve his health, which had taken a beating after his 11-day August fast. With a smile, Anna assured, “My health has now improved.” He seemed to be in a cheerful mood too.

Team Anna will meet the parliamentary standing committee on the bill later in the day.

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Hazare breaks vow of silence

New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) Anna Hazare today broke his 19-day 'vow of silence', saying it was not against any person or party but in the interest of his own health.

74-year-old Hazare broke his 'maun vrat' at Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat at around 7 am, saying 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'. He was observing the vow of silence since October 16.

Hazare, who had reached Delhi last night to attend a meeting of the Standing Committee on Lokpal Bill, said, "My vow of silence was not against any person or party. After 12-day hunger strike at Ram Lila Maidan, my health weakened.

So, there was no other way then 'maun' which Mahatma Gandhi has shown us. So when such a situation comes you should do maun.

"After maun my situation has improved. BP and weight is normal. We have to fight for Lokpal and corruption. I have regained new strength to fight. I am ready to fight," he said.

Hazare had started his 'maun vrat' at his native village in Maharashtra for 'atma shanti' (peace of soul).

Team Anna had got engulfed in a series of controversies including financial misconduct, during Hazare's 19-day 'maun vrat'

He had last week held a meeting with prominent members in Ralegan Siddhi during which it was decided that the anti-corruption movement will have a constitution and its core members will have to adhere to certain norms.

Hazare had threatened to launch another hunger strike if a strong Lokpal Bill is not passed in parliament's winter session.

''People backing Anna don''t know what they are for''

Mumbai, Nov 4 (PTI) Holding that those backing Anna Hazare's movement against corruption don't know what they are for, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said the Jan Lokpal will create a "supra-institution" that would be a law unto itself.

"It would have the power to investigate, prosecute and punish. If this kind of power falls into the wrong hands then the cure (to corruption) can turn out to be worse than the disease," Tharoor said during an interactive session on day one of the the Mumbai literature festival, Literature Live, here last night.

On Hazare's movement, Tharoor spoke of its potential to turn into a powerful, oppressive institution like the Spanish Inquisition.

"When the Catholic church created the inquisition, they thought it will be an agent for good. That it will preserve and protect the religion. But within a very few years, it turned into an authoritarian nightmare," the former Minister of State for External Affairs said.

On the agitation for the Jan Lokpal Bill, he said, "It doesn't solve the problem of petty corruption because every hospital won't have a Lokpal. And it will also require 20,000 people to implement it. If they're presuming that all government employees are corrupt, where will they find the 20,000 saints to man the posts?"

Hazare is a "74-year-old saintly individual", Tharoor said. "However, people who turned out in support of him are aware of what they are against? Corruption? But they don't know what they are for."

"Do people want a supra-institution that has the power to investigate, prosecute and punish anyone form the prime minister to the judiciary? In the hands of someone less saintly, it can be damaging," he said.

Pulitzer prize winning American journalist and author Thomas Friedman, who was with Tharoor in the discussion, 'Two brilliant minds exchange provocative ideas', said Hazare's movement had a "groundswell" of public sentiment.

"Is Hazare the leader or symbol of the movement? He didn't really create the Jan Lokpal Bill and then inspire people to get behind it. It was written by a band of activists who then chose Hazare to be the face of their campaign. He is more a symbol of the movement rather than the leader. So he's not a leader in the way that Gandhi, Napoleon or Stalin were."

Friedman, who spoke about his bestselling books, "The World is Flat" and "That used to be Us" at the literature festival, said that in the past decade, the state of American education, infrastructure and capital formation has fallen tremendously.

"The American political system is completely broken and paralysed," Friedman said. "It perhaps needs shock therapy in the form of a third political party," he said.

Anna to campaign against Cong if Jan Lokpal Bill not passed

Changing his stand, Anna Hazare on Friday said he will campaign against Congress in the five poll-bound states if the UPA government fails to get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed in the winter session of parliament.

"Let anybody say anything. I will campaign against those who did not bring the bill. I will go and campaign and say do not give vote to Congress if the Bill is not passed in the winter session of parliament," he said addressing a press conference shortly after breaking his 19-day 'vow of silence' at Rajghat.

Hazare said if the Bill is not passed, he will fast for three days and then will go for a nation-wide tour.

Asked if he will campaign against BJP, he said he will not campaign for the party. "I won't campaign for BJP. There is no difference between Congress and BJP," he said.

However, Hazare praised Uttarakhand chief minister B C Khanduri for bringing a strong Lokayukta Bill and said he will honour the chief minister here for his "bold step".

On Monday, Hazare had blogged that he would campaign in the five poll-bound states if the bill was not passed but would not name any party.

Team Anna had come under attack for campaigning against the Congress during the Hissar lok sabha by-poll with critics saying they are indulging in politics though they were claiming to be campaigning against corruption.

Accusing the government of trying to "weaken" the Jan Lokpal Bill, Hazare said there was no need for bring separate bills on citizens charter as well as on whistle blowers.

"Government's intention is doubtful...The government is trying to weaken the Jan Lokpal Bill by cutting it into pieces. All these provisions were there in the Jan Lokpal Bill," he said.

On Team Anna's campaign against Congress in Hissar lok sabha bypoll, he said it was because of the campaign that Congress candidate lost his deposit in the election.

"We did not want to destabilise the government but wanted to send a strong message that till a strong Lokpal Bill is enacted, our agitation will continue," he said.

On restructuring of the core committee, Hazare said the committee will be reconstituted by giving representation to people from all religions, regions, castes and creeds and that people with integrity will be included in it.

On various allegations against some of the Team Anna members, he said, "There could be some drawback but that does not mean corruption."

Asked about his letter to prime minister Manmohan Singh threatening to restart his agitation if the Jan Lokpal Bill was not passed, he said he just wanted to remind the government about the passage of Bill.