New Delhi:
Social activist Anna Hazare, on the ninth day of his team's hunger's strike, reiterated that he would not enter politics even though the country needed honest people in Parliament for the Lokpal Bill to be passed.
Here are the highlights of his speech at Jantar Mantar:
- I will not go into politics. Will fight from the outside. You have to think who goes into a party. Do they have a good character? Only such people should be given a ticket.
- If you want to change the nation, form a party. But see who is going into that party. How will you monitor them? You have to think about that. The people who ask for your votes, whether they are right or wrong, should be monitored.
- There are many people who talk, there are very few who work. Words don't work.
- We have not taken money from any businessmen or any organizations. In a village where 80% were hungry, people are now going abroad. People used to go 6 kilometres to break stones, now in that village, there are no labourers available.
- We will discuss and decide whether to continue the fast. Arvind is not feeling well, 20-22 people have gone into hospital.
- We are seeing that 15-20 crore spent on elections. There are at least 550 Lok Sabha members. Where is the money coming from? Have to think about this.
- How will we do this without money? We have to think about that.
- Till good people don't go into the Lok Sabha, the right change will not happen.
- I see people in large numbers who come every day to Jantar Mantar. But Jantar Mantar is not the country. We have to replicate the environment here, in the entire country.
- This country is village-based. Gram Sabha should decide to vote only for the party that will bring about change in the country. Gram Sabha is the parliament of the village.