Hazare launches fresh stir; ‘distrusts’ PM, Sonia
31 Jan 2013
Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare today started his nationwide anti-graft campaign, the 'Jantantra' movement, from Patna's historic Gandhi Maidan. Former army chief General V K Singh was alongside Hazare.
He launched his movement even as the union cabinet today passed a finalised version of the Lokpal Bill being demanded by Hazare. However, he has never been willing to accept the government's version of the bill.
Before formally launching the movement, Hazare said assurances like the one by Sonia Gandhi that Lokpal Bill for a central corruption watchdog would be passed in the budget session of Parliament were being made for the past two years, and said intentions of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the Congress president on it were ''not clear''.
Hazare reiterated that he will continue to protest if the bill is not up to the mark.
Hazare also raised the question whether the government has drafted the bill according to ''our demands''. He asked if the bill will be able to check corruption.
''Is the bill the government is coming up with the one we demanded? How will they remove corruption? The government has goons that control villages."