Anti-graft crusader and social activist Anna Hazare has taken on the government, yet again. In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Mr. Hazare has demanded a stronger Lokayukta in Maharashtra.
Though the letter has not been made public yet, sources close to Mr. Hazare told The Hindu that the crusader has threatened another agitation if the government does not take adequate steps for strengthening the Lokayukta. “The letter states that if by the end of the winter session of the Assembly, no concrete steps for a strong legislation giving more powers to the Lokayukta are taken, he will go on hunger strike again,” Mr. Hazare’s close aide said.
This time the hunger strike will be held for seven days in Alandi, near Pune. Mr. Hazare has said that if the state government still fails to bring about a stronger legislation, there will be a state-wide jail bharo campaign on the seventh day of the hunger strike.
The letter elaborates that even though Maharashtra is one of the few states that has a Lokayukta, he has no authority to take decisions. Maharashtra was the first state to introduce the Lokayukta in 1971.
