New Delhi:
After a brief bout of illness, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare was back in action today. The anti-graft activist held a day-long token fast at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, where he hit out at the government demanding a strong Lokpal Bill, a cause that he championed for throughout last year. The 74-year-old activist had a strong message for the government today: "Introduce the Lokpal Bill or go in 2014".
"The government's intentions are not clear, that is why they are not serious on the Lokpal Bill... The government will be forced to introduce the Jan Lokpal... The government should introduce the Lokpal Bill or go in 2014," said Anna while addressing the crowd at Jantar Mantar - the site which has now become synonymous with the Mr Hazare's fight against corruption. (
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"India has been a republic - rule of the people - since January 26, 1950. We celebrate it everywhere, for the past 63 years. And where is the power, it's in Delhi, Mumbai. I tell people that till they have the power, India can't be a republic," said Anna.
Calling for a bigger movement, the activist also said that Team Anna will travel across the country and tell people that the government's version of the bill is "useless".
Anna also demanded that FIRs be registered against 14 "corrupt" Cabinet ministers of the UPA government by August failing which a 'jail bharo' agitation will be launched. His new plan was declared after his close aide Arvind Kejriwal named 14 Cabinet ministers against corruption charges were levelled.
"FIRs should be registered against the corrupt (Union) ministers by August or there will be 'jail bharo' agitation across the country. We have to be ready for this. The date will be announced later," Anna said while ending his fast.
Mr Kejriwal had taken the names of around 25 politicians, including Sharad Pawar, S M Krishna, P Chidambaram, Praful Patel, Kapil Sibal, Kamal Nath, Farooq Abdullah, Ajit Singh, Sri Prakash Jaiswal, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Vilasrao Deshmukh, MK Azhagiri and G K Vasan.
Team Anna also focused on the plight of whistleblowers in the country and demanded adequate protection for them.
"25 people are dead, but this government has gone dumb and deaf. It is not listening to the cries of people," Mr Hazare said before setting out for the venue of his fast. The septuagenarian's change of agenda is significant given the massive furore caused by the death of IPS officer Narendra Kumar Singh who was killed on March 8 allegedly by the mining mafia in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh. Mr Singh, who was on patrol duty, had tried to stop a tractor-trolley loaded with stones but was run over by the driver of the trolley. Mr Singh had seized many vehicles carrying illegally-mined stones and sand in the area in the past and is hence believed to have been murdered.
Mr Singh's uncle, who alongwith the police officer's family is also present at the fast, told NDTV that though they had full faith in the CBI which is probing the murder, they were with Mr Hazare in his fight for the cause.
(Watch)The IPS officer is just one among several people, who have been killed in recent years after they tried to blow the lid off corruption in the country. "Manjunath had raised the issue of adultery in oil...He is no more, the adultery is continuing...Narendra Kumar is no more. He had raised his voice against corruption. They had asked the government for protection, but they were not provided protection. In the Jan Lokpal Bill we want, there is a provision for protecting whistleblowers," said Arvind Kejriwal, one of Mr Hazare's key aides who also comprise what is known as Team Anna.
(Watch)India now has a Whistleblowers' Protection Bill in place that seeks to set up a regular mechanism to encourage persons to disclose information on corruption or willful misuse of power by public servants, including ministers, by providing them adequate protection. This bill was passed by the Lok Sabha last year amidst the debate and vote on the Lokpal Bill.
Mr Hazare had, in August last year, held an epic 12-day fast at this very place in his fight for the Lokpal Bill - an event that galvanised almost an entire nation, forcing the government to accede to three key demands that he wanted incorporated in the then proposed anti-graft legislation. The Lokpal Bill intends to create an ombudsman tasked to check cases of corruption among government servants. It has been mired in controversy over a strong and public disagreement between the government and Mr Hazare and his group of activists over key tenets of the legislation. An effort to iron out the differences in the form of a drafting committee - comprising 10 members with five drawn from the government as well as the civil society - also failed miserably with the rift within the two parties widening with a very public, and at times, nasty verbal duel. Some of the main sticking points that have thus far left Team Anna dissatisfied with the government's version of the Lokpal Bill include bringing the Central Bureau of Investigation under the ambit of the Lokpal.
(
With PTI inputs)