Raking up a new issue, Anna Hazare today demanded that FIRs be registered against 14 ‘corrupt’ Cabinet ministers of the UPA by August failing which a ‘jail bharo’ agitation will be launched even as he pushed back the deadline for a strong Lokpal law to 2014.
74-year-old Hazare’s new plan was declared at a token fast at Jantar Mantar for a strong whistleblowers bill after his close aide Arvind Kejriwal named 14 Cabinet ministers against corruption charges were levelled.
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“FIRs be registered against the corrupt (Union) ministers by August or there will be ‘jail bharo’ (fill the jail) agitation across the country. We have to be ready for this.
Date will be announced later,” Hazare said ending his fast.
Kejriwal had took the names of around 25 politicians, including ministers 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.
Hazare, whose last hunger strike in Mumbai in December-end last year flopped due to low turn-out, also put the government on notice on Lokpal issue. “Bring Jan Lokpal or go out of power in 2014 general elections,” Hazare said.
“We will show what is the power of Jan Lokpal Bill. I am a fakir (saint). I will show them how much strength a ‘fakir’ like me has,” he said.
Team Anna’s new game plan was revealed through a series of speeches by Hazare, Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Shanti Bhushan towards the end of the fast.
Though Hazare and his team targeted government, they appeared soft on opposition. There were mentions of cases against BJP’s B S Yeddyurappa and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa by Kejriwal. Earlier in the day, Gujarat ChiefMinister Narendra Modi’s name figured while talking about the killing of a whistleblower in his state.
Bedi then talked about “getting ready for the fight” during Delhi Assembly polls next year followed by Bhushan who said the government fears passing of a strong Lokpal Bill as they don’t want to have their own ministers in jail.
In a bid to augment the movement’s momentum and gain more support, Hazare also appeared to overlook reservations against Ramdev over his alleged Hindutva links and declared that his supporters will join the yoga guru’s protests and vice versa.
“We (Ramdev and Hazare) were to have talks on June five and finalise our plans but the government acted in the night. We could not meet. Now we have decided that Ramdev will come on board our agitation. Our supporters will participate in their protest and his supporters in ours,” Hazare said.
Hazare had disassociated with Ramdev after some Hindutva leaders participated in the yoga guru’s protest. One of Ramdev’s close aide Jaidev today spoke at the protest during which lashed out at the government.
Accusing the Government of lacking political will to bring an effective legislation to contain corruption, Hazare said peoples’ power will force the Centre to legislate a strong Lokpal Bill one day.
“This government neither has any intention nor does have any political will to bring a strong Lokpal Bill. We will not relent. We will have to keep struggling. I am confident one day they will have to bring the Jan Lokpal Bill,” Hazare said.
–Agencies