Standing committee betrayed country, says Anna Hazare

Accusing the parliamentary committee on the Lokpal bill of betraying the country, Team Anna termed its report as "weak" and "ineffective" to tackle corruption and will protest against it Sunday, Anna Hazare said today. 'Second fight for independence'

Accusing the parliamentary committee on the Lokpal bill of betraying the country, Team Anna termed its report as "weak" and "ineffective" to tackle corruption and will protest against it Sunday, Anna Hazare said on Saturday.

HT Image

"The government is not serious about eradicating corruption. There is no will power, and to reject the standing committee report, we will be protesting at Jantar Mantar tomorrow (Sunday)," Hazare told reporters here.

"Standing committee has betrayed the whole country. The poor are suffering and will not get justice till lower level officers are brought under the Lokpal," said Hazare.

The standing committee's report has recommended exclusion of class 3 and 4 government employees from the purview of the anti-graft ombudsman. It has instead tasked the Central Vigilance Commissioner and state Lokayuktas with looking into complaints against this class of employees of the central and state governments.

Hazare arrived in the capital Saturday for his daylong token fast Sunday at Jantar Mantar to protest the government's version of the Lokpal bill.