After repeated warnings, social activist and anti-black money campaigner Anna Hazare has threatened to launch an agitation against the Modi government over its failure to appoint a Lokpal.
The Hindu reports that Hazare was addressing his supporters in his native village of Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra where he threatened to launch an agitation, again. Hazare though, was reportedly not clear about when the agitation would begin, saying that it could happen at the end of January or early February.
“This agitation has become imperative to make India corruption-free,” he was quoted saying at the end of a two-day meeting with his supporters.
Hazare’s remarks come on the back of his visit to Delhi on Gandhi Jayanti, where he paid his respects at Rajghat where he said he was a fakeer with no demands.
While reacting to a question related to Lokpal Act, he had said that he was a beggar with no demands.
"I am a Fakeer, and I have no demands," he told ANI, after reaching Delhi to pay tribute at Rajghat on the 148th birth anniversary of 'Father of Nation' Mahatma Gandhi.
"I have just come to pay my respects to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat," he added.
On September 1, the Supreme Court said that it will hear matters regarding the implementation of the Lokayukt Bill, the Lokpal Bill and the Citizen Charter soon.
Earlier, accusing the BJP-led government of being apathetic to the issue of appointing Lokpal, Hazare had said that it is clearly the 'ego' of the government that is not appointing the Act even after the Supreme Court's direction.
The apex court had earlier asked the Central Government to implement the Lokpal Act, while saying that there is no justification for holding it in abeyance.
At the end of August this year, Hazare had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, declaring another round of agitation over the government's apathy in appointing a Lokpal and Lokayukta even after three years in power.
Hazare, one of the icons of the India Against Corruption movement in 2011, which also included the likes of Baba Ramdev and now Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, had captured the public imagination that year.
In his recent letter to the Prime Minister though, Hazare said he would continue campaign in the state capital till the Lokayukta is not appointed and the Swaminathan Commission Report is not implemented.
"I have written many letters to you regarding the appointment of Lokpal and Lokayukta but I have not received any reply for you nor have I seen any action from your side. Due to the increasing rate of corruption, people trusted your words, but even today no work gets done without paying money. Inflation has also not come down," he had said in his letter.
"For the past three years, I have reminded you to react on the issue of Lokpal and Lokayukta, but everytime I have to experience dismay. There have been various editions of Mann Ki Baat not even in one, you discussed the issue of Lokpal and Lokayukta," he added.
Expressing his dismay, he further said that the promise of bringing back black money has also not been addressed by the Prime Minister.
"You don't speak of implementation of the Lokpal and Lokayukta laws passed for curbing corruption. May be you have forgotten the things which you promised," he added.
The Social Activist had further attacked Prime Minister Modi and said that it would have been better had he paid attention to farmers the way he is concerned about the industrialists of the country.
At the end of his letter then, he had said that due to such a stance of the Prime Minister, he is mulling another agitation.
With Agency Inputs
