New Delhi, January 22: Breaking his silence for the first time ever since the Lokpal fiasco, Gandhian Anna Hazare on Sunday wrote a fresh letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying the government has betrayed people and Parliament by bringing a “weak Lokpal.”
“There is no citizen’s charter in the bill. Lower bureaucracy is not included in the bill,” he wrote in his letter adding “Is the government bill really a strong Lokpal Bill? How could you betray the country?”
Terming the bill a “fraud” committed on the Parliament, the 74-year-old anti-corruption activist said, “If such an act could be performed by the government then the future of Parliament and democracy would be bleak.”
The letter has also been marked to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and BJP President Nitin Gadkari.
The anti-corruption crusader urged the Prime Minister to “show courage” like he did to ensure the passage of Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal.
“You are now 80 and this country has given you everything. Now it is asking you to come up with a strong Lokpal to fight corruption. You had shown courage in the case of nuclear deal. Show the same courage for Lokpal. Bring a strong Lokpal and the country will remember you,” he said.
Anna’s letter to Prime Minister came as the Gandhian recovered from illness following his fast in Mumbai demanding a stronger version of the Lokpal bill.
During the extended Winter Session of the Parliament, Lok Sabha had passed the Lokpal Bill with a voice vote. But, the government did not put the bill to vote in Rajya Sabha amid high drama. The upper house was adjourned sine die on the midnight of December 29 last year without putting the bill to vote.
—-Agencies