Bangalore:
As the government gears up to introduce the Lokpal Bill in the parliament, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has written yet another letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accusing the government of betrayal.
Mr Hazare has, in his letter, said that the government's draft of the bill is not strong and has alleged that the Centre is not keen to let go of control of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). "Lokpal is toothless without the CBI under it", he has said in his letter.
(Read the full letter) The inclusion of the CBI under the ambit of the Lokpal is one of the key demands that the 74-year-old Gandhian has been pressing for. But he along with his team of activists, popularly known as Team Anna, have been miffed over the CBI being kept out of the Lokpal's jurisdiction in the latest draft of the bill prepared by the Parliament's Standing Committee which was tasked with studying the proposed legislation. The Lokpal is an ombudsman meant to tackle cases of graft among government servants.
Mr Hazare has also raised questions over the selection process of the nine-member Lokpal as recommended by the Standing Committee.
Expressing hope that the Prime Minister would respect the commitment he made during his fast in August, Mr Hazare reiterated his warning of beginning yet another fast on December 27 if the promises weren't fulfilled - of passing a strong Lokpal Bill in the current session of Parliament. He also reminded the PM of his earlier threat to begin a "jail bharo" across India from January 1.