Launching his Jantantra Yatra from the historic Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Sunday announced that a Jan Sansad (People’s Parliament) would be held on the Ramlila grounds in New Delhi in about five months. It would mark the beginning of the “people’s struggle against the misrule of the present government at the Centre.”
Mr. Hazare was addressing a rally organised by his Jan Morcha as part of the yatra.
Earlier, accompanied by the former Army chief, V.K. Singh, he paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and Durgiana Mandir.
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He urged the people to demonstrate zero tolerance of corruption and emphasised the need for a “Jan Kranti” to liberate the country from such a political dispensation.
Mr. Hazare said the Jan Sansad could be avoided if political parties responded to the 25-point charter presented by the Jan Morcha. It was time the political parties realised that the ‘common man could pull down any government.’ The present yatra was aimed at creating awareness among the people of the ‘faulty policies’ and decisions of the UPA government.
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In an appeal to all “crusaders” to come together on one platform, Mr. Hazare warned that the required change would remain elusive as long as their strength remained scattered in different camps. “United we are like a steel pillar,” he said, emphasising the need to awaken the public to issues like the Jan Lokpal Bill and the Right to Reject.
Mr. Hazare is scheduled to organise public rallies across Punjab in the next five days, after which he would travel through Haryana and Uttarakhand. The first leg of the yatra would culminate in a rally on April 17 and resume after a short break.