New Delhi, Nov. 1: Anna Hazare has threatened to spoil Christmas and New Year celebrations of the Congress leaders, if the UPA government fails to get a “strong Jan Lokpal Bill” enacted in the forthcoming winter session of Parliament.
Hazare sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on October 31, which was made public today, where he warned that he would feel forced to resume his fast on the last day of Parliament’s winter session if the House did not enact the Jan Lokpal Bill by then.
The House convenes on November 22 and is scheduled to meet till December 23. The letter, in Hindi, littered with glaring spelling mistakes and poorly drafted, accused “responsible members” of the UPA of creating doubt on whether the government was indeed committed to the passage of the bill in the winter session. Hazare termed the flip-flop as “not good”.
“This (flip-flop) is not good. I have decided to restart the movement, that I had suspended (in August) after an assurance from you,” stated Hazare in the letter. The 74-year-old activist said teams of activists would also travel to different states to educate common Indians on the issue.
In what may be a concession to some members of his group, who criticised the campaign against the Congress candidate in the run up to the Hisar by-poll, Hazare said he would appeal to people to vote for candidates with integrity, but not single out or name any political party. “I will appeal to the people not to vote for corrupt, goondas and looters,” said he.
Hazare, who has been observing maun vrat since October 16 at his native Ralegan Siddhi village in Maharashtra, said his anti-corruption movement started on August 16 from Ramlila Maidan, made the country’s people, fed up with corruption, to hit the streets. It even spread to other countries, he said. “The movement spread across the country and also to several countries across the globe,” said he.
The government and the Congress received the latest “threat” by Hazare with a sense of dismay. Leaders wondered about the need for the ultimatum when the legislative process was on and there was no genuine reason to doubt that Parliament would go back on its commitment made in the last session. Though majority of leaders was angry with the attempt to dictate Parliament at the proverbial gunpoint, they chose not to lock horns with the Anna group.
One Congress leader said: “The standing committee is working to complete the bill at unprecedented speed and the government is repeatedly talking of winter session deadline. But, the passage depends on the parliamentary schedule and whether the government is thinking in terms of constitutional status. We should be patient and behave like civil society, not military junta in a democratic society.”
Information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said: “I do not see any reason for bringing pressure on the government, as the parliamentary affairs minister, the leader of the Lok Sabha, Congress leaders and the Prime Minister, himself, have repeatedly emphasised that a strong, effective and powerful instrument like the Lokpal will be put in place.”
She, however, without commenting on the merit of the decision, mentioned Team Anna’s campaign in the Hisar by-poll as a pressure tactic.
Law minister Salman Khurshid said: “The matter is still before the standing committee. It will be introduced in the winter session. We have been saying this over and over again.” The winter session of Parliament will begin on November 22 and end on December 23.
Asked if the recent behaviour of the Team Anna indicated they had a larger political agenda, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said: “We welcome anybody to test their political efficacy in election, but they, themselves, clarify whether they have a larger agenda. They should declare their intent if they have political ambitions and come upfront.”
In his letter, Hazare reminded Singh that he called off his hunger strike following a written assurance from the Prime Minister, which was conveyed to him by Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. “If an effective Jan Lokpal Bill is in place, it would help the country to get rid of corruption and also utilise more funds towards development work,” he said, adding that he believed 60 per cent corruption would end if a strong Jan Lokpal were enacted.
Hazare said it had become difficult for the common man to carry on with their life owing to corruption. “Because of corruption and price rise, it has become difficult for people to run their families. Out of Re 1, spent for development activities, only 10 paise is actually spent on development,” he said.
The activist had yesterday indicated that he might discontinue the maun vrat over the next couple of days, as he wanted to hold “open discussions” with his supporters.
