Ahmedabad: Backtracking on his praise for chief minister Narendra Modi, social activist Anna Hazare after spending over 24 hours in the state the Gujarat government on a number of issues like corruption, absence of Lok Ayukta, and free flow of liquor “like milk” despite prohibition.
Hazare arrived in Ahmedabad on Wednesday evening on a two-day visit. After visiting the slums, he visited Gujarat Vidyapeeth and addressed a public rally on Thursday evening. After meeting people at Vidyapeeth, Anna said, “I see scams and scams in Mahatma Gandhi’s land. I feel ashamed liquor is available here more than milk. ”
Corruption is rampant in Gujarat and it hasn’t even spared the state of Gandhi. After coming here, I have realised that there are so many corruption cases here. So much corruption in Gandhiji’s state,” he said and urged Modi to quickly appoint a Lok Ayukta.
Hazare, a member of the Jan LokPal Bill drafting team, made these remarks during a public hearing arranged by various civil society groups. “First bring Lok Ayukta here to empower the people and secondly give power to the Gram Sabhas,” he said. Hazare had earlier said that chief ministers must learn from the work done by the chief ministers of Gujarat and Bihar.
His praise of Modi had fuelled a controversy and also came up for criticism from his own followers like social activist Medha Patkar
–Agencies