Motihari, Aug. 22: Supporters of Anna Hazare took part in a daylong dharna today.

The protest was organised under the banner of JP Senani Sangh, Intellectual Forum and students’ organisations in front of the JP statue near Chandmari Chowk today in a bid to get inspired from the protagonist of 1974 students’ movement, which toppled the Congress government at the Centre in 1977.

A large number people expressed their solidarity with the dharna, which was led by advocate Kumar Shiv Shankar and conducted by Ramakant Pandey.

Retired college principal and educationist R.P. Sharma stressed the need for an effective Jan Lokpal Bill and said the Lokpal Bill proposed by the government is bound to prove ineffective to curb corruption.

Talking about the clean chit given to Anna by the defence, he demanded that the institutions like CBI and vigilance are also required to be brought within the purview of Jan Lokpal Bill.

Another college teacher, Baidyanath Singh, who stressed the need for a strict law against corruption charged the Prime Minister for patronising and protecting the corrupt members in his cabinet. He said: “The so-called British with black skin have become more fatal and anti-people than the actual British. When three Prime Ministers facing corruption charges could be sacked in a very small but developed country like Japan, then why is not the same possible in India?” Singh said.

Addressing in the evening, advocate Ramakant Pandey said the need for an anti-corruption bill was first felt here in 1964, when a commission to that effect was constituted under a senior journalist of the time K.R. Santhanam and the then editor of The Indian Express by the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.

“But it was unfortunate for the healthy democracy in this country that despite the commission’s report in 1966, instead of lauding Shastri’s endeavours to fight against the increasing corruption in this country, the same was opposed by majority of parliamentarians till now, irrespective of their alliance with different parties,” Pandey lamented.

“For getting birth and death certificates, domicile or caste and even income or autopsy, the system sunk deep in corruption cannot do without bribe,” said a journalist, Sanjay Kaushik. He added that the judiciary often perfoms required to be discharged under the Constitution.

Moreover, ensuring the constitutional rights essential for survival to many, the functions which are required to be discharged under the constitutional system are often performed by judiciary in this country, he lamented.

A large number of girl students, traders and people from various other sections of the society were present on the occasion.