Hazare to begin Jail Bharo Andolan if Bill is not passed

The Jail Bharo Andolan will begin on April 12 if the government does not pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, social activist Anna Hazare announced on Monday.

The Jail Bharo Andolan will begin on April 12 if the government does not pass the Jan Lokpal Bill, social activist Anna Hazare announced on Monday.

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The 73-year-old leader, who will begin a fast-unto-death at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi from April 5, told the media that if the Bill was not passed by April 12, the people would take to the streets across the country.

"We will fight till our demands are considered and some strong steps are taken," said Hazare.

The National Advisory Council (NAC), headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi has agreed to consider the Jan Lokpal bill drafted by activists and experts like former top cop Kiran Bedi, advocate Prashant Bhushan, Arvind Kejriwal and others.

The council will discuss the bill on April 3 and 4. "We got a letter from the NAC inviting us for discussions," said activist and former Indian Revenue Service officer Arvind Kejriwal, who will attend the discussions.

A final draft of the bill will be presented to the Congress president on April 23.

"The Right to Information Act has unearthed many scams, but we need a law that can initiate action against the culprits. The only option is to set up a Lokpal at the Centre and the Lokayukta in every state," Hazare said.