Anna Hazare blames Rahul Gandhi for ‘ineffective’ Lokpal Bill

Anti-corruption crusader, Anna Hazare, on Friday trained his guns on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, holding him responsible for the “weak and ineffective” Lokpal Bill proposed by the standing committee of Parliament.

Hazare was speaking to the media at his village, Ralegan Siddhi, after the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, tabled the final report on the Lokpal Bill.

Hazare said, “The standing committee’s decisions were manipulated by Rahul Gandhi and the weak Lokpal is being introduced is at his behest.” Severely criticising the decision of the standing committee to keep the Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees out of the purview of the Lokpal, Hazare claimed, “This was an act of treachery with the nation.”

“Parliament had passed unanimously three resolutions — inclusion of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees and lower judiciary under the purview of the Lokpal, citizens’ charter, and setting up of Lok Ayuktas in every state — and had instructed the standing committee to include them in its draft. In spite of this, the standing committee has decided to present a watered-down version of the Bill, which is a matter of great shame,” he said.

Hazare, who had earlier announced a daylong dharna (agitation) on Sunday in New Delhi, will also embark on a 8-day fast from December 27 in the national capital.

“I also will tour the five states going to the polls next year and ask them not to vote for the Congress, as the party is not serious about fighting corruption,” he said.