Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has appealed to all ‘clean, non-corrupt politicians' to leave their political parties and come together to form a new independent party. He said he would support and campaign for such a party working for the future of the country.
Mr. Hazare spoke to representatives of various national and regional news television channels in Ralegan Siddhi on Tuesday.
Answering a question by the Marathi news channel Ibn Lokmat, Mr. Hazare said: “The good people in some political parties cannot be ignored. Such like-minded people should come together.”
He clarified that he would not be contesting elections, but would remain part of a pressure group. Asked if there were apprehensions about political parties taking advantage of the issue of corruption during elections, he stated that if any party was serious about the issue, it should ensure that the Jan Lokpal Bill was passed in Parliament.
Against Advani's yatra
On Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani's proposed yatra against corruption, he said: “We will not support the yatra. They should instead introduce Lokayuktas in States where they are in power. Only then will a yatra be meaningful.”
Speaking to another regional channel, Star Majha, he said: “We will support every political party that supports the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament. If the Centre is opposing it, they should fight against it.”
Asked by the CNN IBN how he considered himself a Gandhian while advocating hanging those who were corrupt, Mr. Hazare said, “I have taken back my words. People said this does not go with Gandhi's tenets. There should be life imprisonment for the corrupt.”
On the issue of doubts raised by author Arundhati Roy in The Hindu that the movement against corruption was funded by international corporations which are not necessarily ‘clean,' Mr Hazare said: “I haven't looked into that department. But I have told the core committee that the audit of the expenses should be ready by October.”
He stated that if it was found that the donations to the India Against Corruption movement came from corrupt sources, he would quit the andolan.
Mr. Hazare reiterated his criticism of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. “The Prime Minister is remote-controlled by [Congress president] Sonia Gandhi. He should learn from Indira Gandhi, who was a leader of the masses and worked for the poor of the country.”
