New Delhi:
Anna Hazare is back in capital to take on the government once again as the veteran anti-corruption crusader will hold a day-long fast today in New Delhi to push for a strong Lokpal Bill.
Mr Hazare has reached Rajghat. He will begin his fast at the Jantar Mantar shortly.
Team Anna lashed out at the Parliamentary Standing Committee and the government yesterday for coming up with what they called a weak Lokpal report, accusing the government of betraying the people of India.
"Rahul Gandhi is behind this. Who else could it be?" Mr Hazare said while addressing a press conference yesterday.
(Read)Lashing out at the Lokpal draft report prepared by the 30-member panel headed by Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the 74-year-old activist said that it does not include some of his key demands. These include the inclusion of the Prime Minister, lower bureaucracy and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the anti-graft ombudsman. While the draft report remains non-committal on the PM's issue, leaving it instead for Parliament to decide, it does not favour junior bureaucrats being answerable to the nine-member Lokpal.
Mr Hazare is also unhappy about the exclusion of the CBI from the Lokpal's purview in the draft report. The government as well as the investigating agency is opposed to his demand, contending that it will affect the autonomy of the institution.
And even though Anna displays anger at the Congress and its leaders, he is open to talks.
"I'm always ready to talk. We can find a solution through discussion, but only if they (Govt) want to. How can we talk to them if they don't want to?" said Mr Hazare.
Speaking to NDTV recently, Law Minister Salman Khurshid had said he does not have the authority from the PM to speak about the specifics of the bill with anyone, but also hinted at how much he wishes to reach out to Anna.
"If one had an ability and opportunity to talk directly to him, I think we could touch his soul," Mr Khurshid had said.
"Even I haven't touched my soul yet. How will he?" Mr Hazare replied.
Mr Hazare, in a bid to garner wider political support, has invited all political parties today for a debate on the Lokpal Bill. Even as the Congress has refused to attend, many other parties, especially from the Opposition, will have their representatives in attendance at Mr Hazare's fast. They include senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley, CPM's Brinda Karat, Biju Janata Dal's Pinaki Mishra, and Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav.
The Prime Minister, meanwhile, has called for an all-party meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Lokpal issue. (
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Mr Hazare also reminded the government yesterday of his earlier threat to resume his anti-corruption agitation from December 27, saying that it would be carried on for the next two years till the next general elections.
"We will continue to fight for the next two years. We will move around the whole country before the general elections to create public awareness," he said.