Anna Hazare, whose anti-corruption protest had attracted huge outpouring of support in 2011, on Monday threatened a rerun of his crusade as he denounced the Modi government over its “failure” to appoint a Lokpal and create a graft-free India.
Mr. Hazare, who was the face of the movement for creation of a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in States to probe corruption in the government, targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying, “he is averse to appoint anyone to the office”.
The announcement came after the octogenarian visited Raj Ghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of the 148th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation.
“The movement I started for appointing a Lokpal is incomplete, which is why there is need for another agitation. The government failed to appoint a Lokpal in the past three years. In fact, it has weakened the Act [The Lokpal and Lokayukta Act, 2013],” he told journalists at a press conference at the new Maharashtra Sadan here. The new movement, Mr. Hazare said, will be launched by the end of the year or early next year.
Mr. Hazare said he will interact with volunteers from across the country in Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra on Saturday and Sunday to chalk out the future course of action.
Mr. Hazare accused the government of not fulfilling its promises to bring back black money stashed abroad and implement the Swaminathan Commission report.
‘Promise unfulfilled’
In a letter to the Prime Minister on Monday, Mr. Hazare said the promise to bringing back black money remains unfulfilled, the number of farmer suicides is increasing at an alarming rate, the Swaminathan Commission report has not been implemented yet, and corruption in the country is on the rise.
Citing media reports, the social activist claimed that corruption had increased over the past 15 years.
“He [the Prime Minister] has shown no interest in appointing a Lokpal. When he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he did not want a Lokayukta. So he went to the High Court against the move and later approached the Supreme Court,” Mr. Hazare claimed.
He has written to Mr. Modi several time in the past over appointment of a Lokpal. On whether he received a response from the government, Mr. Hazare said, “There has been no response to my letter. Why will they write back? They only respond to industrialists.”
Act amended
Enacted in 2013, the Lokpal and and Lokayuktas Act was amended in 2016 to allow extension of time given to public servants, and trustees and board members of non-government organisations receiving government funds of over ₹1 crore or foreign funding of more than ₹10 lakh to declare their assets and those of their spouses.
Referring to the amendment, the social activist alleged the amendment diluted the provisions of the Act and it was passed in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha in three days “without holding discussions”.
