Hazare asks people not to elect MPs who oppose Jan Lokpal Bill

Ralegan Siddhi, Sep 11 (PTI) Making it clear that there
will be no let-up in his crusade against corruption, Anna
Hazare Sunday asked people not to vote for MPs who have
opposed the Jan Lokpal Bill in the next Indian general
elections and "gherao" their houses even as he announced to
undertake a nationwide yatra including states where assembly
polls are due.
"Watch the MPs on television and note those, who have
opposed the Jan Lokpal bill in Parliament, and later 'gherao'
their houses chanting bhajans in a non-violent protest," he
said at the end of the two-day meeting of the Core Committee
of his anti-corruption movement, the first since he called off
his 12-day fast at Delhi's Ramlila Ground on August 28.
"People should stage a sit-in in front of their houses
and chant Raghupati Raghav Rajaram," he said adding he would
campaign against MPs opposing the Jan Lokpal Bill in the 2014
Lok Sabha (lower house of Indian parliament) elections.
Resolving to intensify his fight to ensure passage of
the Jan Lokpal Bill, the 74-year-old anti-corruption crusader
Hazare said he would embark next month on a nation-wide tour
for the cause.
"I will tour constituencies where the MPs, who have
opposed the Jan Lokpal Bill, will seek re-election and urge
people not to vote for them," he said.
"The Government Lokpal Bill is fraudulent. Corruption
will only increase if a legislation is passed based on
Government's draft," he said.
Hazare said he would prefer to travel by train rather
than plane so that he can interact with the general public.
"A plane takes you from one place and lands within a
short time at another place. There is no interaction with
common people during this kind of travel. I I also travel by
plane, there will not be any difference between me and the
ministers," he said.
Hazare and his core group had Sunday decided that he
will write to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on
electoral reforms and performance audit of MPs, including the
right to recall of elected representatives and right to
reject.
Arvind Kejriwal, a key member of the core group, told
reporters that the meeting had decided to hold a referendum in
the constituencies of important leaders of all political
parties and the MPs on Standing Committee, raising the
question, whether the people should vote for MPs opposed to
the Jan Lokpal bill.
The referendum would seek 'Yes' or 'No' to the poser, he
added.
Kejriwal said Hazare would also take out a 'yatra' in the
states, where the next assembly elections are due and people
would be informed about the stand taken by various parties on
the issue of Jan Lokpal bill, leaving it to their discretion
as to for whom they should vote.
"We will tell people about the stand taken by political
parties on the Jan Lokpal bill without supporting any
particular political party. Let the voters make their choice
in the elections," he said making it clear that the
anti-corruption movement would not be supporting any
candidates during their campaign to inform the people.
He strongly refuted the charge made by Congress general
secretary Digvijay Singh that he and some other members of the
movement had a link with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS), which had arranged for refreshments for agitators on
Ramlila Maidan.
"Singh is haunted by the ghost of RSS but we are not
afraid of RSS," he quipped.
Kejriwal said the Core group has decided to constitute a
three-member committee of three retired judges who would
investigate allegations of corruption made against Hazare and
his team.
Prashant Bhushan, another member of the Core group, asked
people to verify credentials of those who are collecting
donations using the name of Hazare or India Against
corruption.