Anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare today said that the absence of independent institution of Lokpal has given room for several leaders to go scot free in the country. Had such an institution with total autonomy been there, then these leaders would have faced the music, he said while addressing a news conference here. When asked for his reaction on the court’s order issued to Union home minister P Chidambaram today in connection with a suit against him, he said ‘P Chidambaram could have been behind bars had the Centre constituted an independent institution of Lokpal to try the allegations levelled againt him in an election petition.’
‘This is only one case against him, what about the other cases,’ he quizzed, and hastend to add ‘see former Telecommunications minister A Raja is on bail despite the Rs 1.6 lakh crore fraud. They are not at all afraid of anything,’ he said. Mr Hazare said that unless deterrant provisions like recovery are instituted, such corruptions would go unabated, which is hazardous to the country. ‘We have been insisting on autonomy to these institutions, be it the Lok Ayukta and Lokpal, we will fight till the last to get it,’ he declared. Asked whether Mr Chidambaram should resign owning moral responsibility, he referred to the case of former prime minister late Lal Bahadur Shastri who resigned after the train accident owning moral responsibility and said ‘nowadays moral responsibility is nowhere to be seen.’ UNI