New Delhi:
Anna Hazare saw a copy of the 74-page final version of the Lokpal Bill that the government will table in the Lok Sabha today, instantly cast it aside as a "useless bill" and challenged Congress president Sonia Gandhi to debate its merits with him.
"If Sonia Gandhi thinks the bill is strong, she should come out, sit across us, debate and explain how it is strong in front of the media," the 74-year-old activist said, also announcing that he would sit outside the homes of both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as part of his protest and jail bharo agitation.
Anna said leaving out the CBI out of the control of the Lokpal, as the new Bill reportedly proposes, rendered the anti-corruption Bill "useless" and said he was now firmer than ever on launching his fourth hungerstrike of the year and simultaneous protests in Delhi and Mumbai from December 27 next week, the day the Lok Sabha is expected to discuss and vote on the Lokpal Bill.
Anna has said he plans a three-day hungerstrike, followed by a three-day jail bharo agitation asking people to court arrest across the country and then follow it up with a focused targetting of the Congress party in five-election bound states, including Uttar Pradesh.
Mumbai's Azad Maidan has been finalised as the venue for Anna and his team of activists, who plan to hold a protest camp in the city for three days, starting December 27.
Azad Maidan was offered to the activists for protests at no cost, but they had said it may not be able to accommodate the huge crowds they expect - 50,000 to one lakh a day. However, after being told it would have to pay Rs 11 lakh in rental fee for the MMRDA Ground located in central Mumbai, Team Anna has finalised Azad Maidan as the venue, reportedly.
Team Anna has vowed that the protest will be bigger than ever this time and is in a huddle to plan the details.