Real battle begins now

People erupted in joy amid a carnival-like atmosphere at Jantar Mantar on Saturday when Anna Hazare ended his 97-hour fast-unto-death with a sip from a glass of lemon juice held by a little girl.

Supporters of Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption smeared gulal on each other and danced to drum beats as the veteran Gandhian flashed the government notification announcing the formation of a 10-member panel to draft a stringent Lokpal (ombudsman) Bill to combat corruption in high places.

The 73-year-old social activist, however, struck a note of caution. Expressing apprehension over Parliamentarians’ readiness to pass a strong anti-corruption legislation, he asked his supporters to be prepared for a “bigger battle”. Addressing the thousands who had gathered at Jantar Mantar, Hazare said, “The struggle is not finished, this is the first stage of protest. There is a long way to go. We will have to struggle whenever it is necessary, and put pressure on the government to make governance transparent. We will need everyone’s continuous support.” Terming this campaign as the start of another independence struggle, he added that their struggle will continue till the bill is passed by Parliament.

Addressing the media, he said “power-hungry” politicians will not easily accept any bill having stringent provisions against corruption or “shed” the power they enjoy. “But on this issue, people will get together,” he said, adding, MPs and MLAs were being elected to serve the people and not to be their masters. “But they (elected representatives) have forgotten this.”   

Hazare, who has set August 15 as the deadline for passage of the bill, said, “I feel there will be need for a bigger agitation in the future [to get the bill passed in Parliament]. “If the bill is not passed, on August 15, we will hoist the tricolour at Red Fort for the second freedom struggle. If it is passed, we will welcome the prime minister on August 15.”

He said at present there is no fear among those who indulge in corruption. The proposed Lok Pal will act as a deterrent for the corrupt and put a “big break” on the menace.

Agencies like the CBI, the CVC and others are under government control and so they cannot fight corruption effectively, he said, adding, when the Lok Pal Bill comes into effect, the authority will have autonomy and no one will be able to put a spoke in its functioning.

Replying to a question, he dismissed the possibility of misuse of the proposed law for political purposes. Admitting that he did not expect the groundswell of support for his campaign witnessed in the last five days, he said people joined him in such large numbers as they were fed up with corruption. “They have had enough of it.”

Although most people in the crowd compared him to Mahatma Gandhi, Hazare himself did not take the Mahatma’s name. Instead he referred to revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, who were hanged by the British. He said the country was indebted to them.