Social activist and vociferous propagator of the anti-corruption ombudsman, Lokpal, Anna Hazare said on Saturday that he will launch a hunger strike from January 30 next year at his village if the Lokpal is not appointed.
Hazare has written a letter to Jitendra Singh, Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), accusing the NDA government of deferring the appointment of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states alleging that the government is making excuses to avoid the appointment of Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas in states.
“The Narendra Modi government first said that Lokpal could not be appointed as there was no Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (who is to be part of the selection process) and later it said there was no eminent jurist in the selection committee,” said Hazare.
He sat on a fast at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on March 23 this year but called it off when the PMO gave a written assurance that his demand would be fulfilled.
He then set a deadline of October 2.
“On October 2, my agitation was to start from my village Ralegan Siddhi, but Maharashtra chief minister and other ministers again assured me that the appointment of Lokpal and Lokayuktas was in a final stage. I decided to give one more chance and wait till January 30,” he wrote.
“It is obvious that the present government does not have the intention to appoint Lokpal and Lokayuktas,” he alleged.
Recipient of the third-highest civilian award Padma Bhushan, Hazare has frequently conducted hunger strikes to drive home his demand for the appointment of anti-corruption regulator Lokpal.
Hazare had, in 2011, launched the India Against Corruption, a series of demonstrations and protests across India and sat on a hunger strike at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.