Would you have had any faith on the govt if you were I, Hazare asks PM

Asks govt to stop maligning him saying that he's been "instigated" for the fast and is showing "impatience"

sweta-ranjan

Sweta Ranjan | April 6, 2011




Anna Hazare has written to the prime minister on Wednesday clarifying that the insinuation that he was instigated by "others" to go on the fast amounted to slander. Terming the current form of the Lokpal bill as "very weak", he accused the government of not showing enough political will to implement changes that have been suggested by various civil society groups and even the national advisory council.

The orginal letter is given as an attachment with this article.

Hazare, who categorically refused to politicise his protest, thanked his supporters.

"My protest is a non-political, non-violent one," he said in his speech on the second day of his fast at Jantar Mantar.

His supporters in Mumbai had refused to allow poltician O P Chautala and his men into the Azad maidan where the protest is being led by activist Medha Patekar.

Earlier, reacting to BJP's show of support, Hazare had said that both the government and the opposition "were in the same boat".

Protestors at the Jantar Mantar site of demonstration did not allow politician and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti to enter the  area.

However, soon after Bharti was shown the door, Hazare announced that nobody will be ousted from the protest henceforth as it was a democratic protest. But, he warned participants against politicising the protest.

The organisation behind the protest India Against Corruption claimed that its website was now being followed by over 12 lakh people, while on Tuesday it had about five lakh followers.

Related story:

Reacting to social activist Anna Hazare's fast for the anti-corruption legislation, the Lokpal Bill, the Congress on Wednesday said that the party was committed to Lokpal Bill.

However, party spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajant said that the issue is a matter of national debate and it needed the paticipation of various section of people.She said Hazare should engage in a dialogue with the governmnet rather than launching a public protest.

"I will not calll his fast a fight for justice," Natrajan told the media here.

"We have been discussing the issue since the last 25-30 years. It requires a great deal of discussion and involvement NAC. It is not possible to handover police and judicial mandate to the Lokpal's office as demanded by Hazare," she contended.

Refering to RTI activist and Magsaysay award winner Arvind Kejriwal who is also protesting with hazare, Natarajan said that the award was no reason to grant anyone statutory powers.

"No ten people can get together and decicde on the law of the land," Natarajan said in what can be read as an attempt to underplay the protest's significance.


 

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