Bangalore: Anna Leads 'Save Lokayukta' Campaign, Hundreds Join in
Bangalore, Dec 17 (IANS): Activist Anna Hazare Saturday reiterated his stand on launching an indefinite protest from Dec 27 and a 'jail bharo’ agitation from Jan 1 if the Lokpal bill was not passed in parliament’s current session.
Karnataka, the first state in India to set up a Lokaytukta (ombudsman) in 1986, Saturday saw Anna Hazare lead a large rally to save the institution that has been headless for nearly three months now.
Hundreds of people -- students, IT professionals, housewives, senior citizens -- gathered at the Freedom Park in Bangalore city centre to protest the delay in naming a new Lokayukta.
The appointment has become a raging controversy between the Bharatiya Janata Party government led by D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, a veteran Congressman and former union law minister.
Bhardwaj has refused to accept the Gowda cabinet's choice of former Kerala High Court chief justice S.R. Bannumath to be new Lokayukta as he is caught in a row over building a house in Bangalore on a site meant for civic amenities like park or a building for community use.
Gowda, his ministers as well state BJP chief K.S. Eshwarappa are insisting that Bhardwaj accept their choice to succeed former Supreme Court judge Shivaraj V. Patil, who quit Sep 19 following a row over claims that he had violated rules to acquire two house sites in Bangalore from two housing societies.
Patil lasted in the office for just over 45 days after succeeding another former Supreme Court judge, N. Santosh Hegde, on Aug 3. Hegde's term ended Aug 2 and his July 27 "explosive" report on illegal mining scam led to the fall of the first BJP government in the state, headed by B.S. Yeddyurappa, on July 31. Hegde recommended Yeddyurappa's trial for corruption in the illegal scam.
Bhardwaj has been asserting in public that he will appoint only a person who is not involved in any controversy. The governor has also been saying that he has nothing against Bannurmath but since media has reported a controversial action by the former chief justice, he is reluctant to appoint him.
Gowda, however, claims that Bhardwaj has not formally rejected the name of Bannurmath and till then, he cannot look for another nominee. While Gowda and Bhardwaj slug it out in public, Bannurmath has declined to make any comment on the row.
His silence has prompted a group of prominent Kannada writers, including Jnanpith awardee U.R. Ananthamurthy, to issue an open letter to Bannurmath requesting him to announce he is not interested in taking up the post.
There has been no reaction from Bannurmath even to this appeal, which was issued Thursday. With no end to the row in sight, India Against Corruption, which under Hazare's leadership is fighting for a strong Lokapal bill, brought the social activist to Bangalore for Saturday's rally to save Karnataka Lokayukta.
Meanwhile, accusing the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of "cheating the people" of the country, Anna Hazare Saturday told it to pass strong Lokpal bill or quit and called on people to hold demonstrations and fill jails if this is not done.
"I will start my fast in New Delhi Dec 27 and all of you will hold demonstrations carrying the national flag and raising slogans of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', 'Vande Mataram' and 'Inquilab Zindabad'," he told a large public meeting here.
"Three days later, you will fill the jails if the bill is not passed by then," the social activist told the boisterous crowd that enthusiastically responded to almost every statement of his with loud cheers and whistles.
He urged the people to "gherao" (surround) the houses of MPs opposing a strong Lokpal but ensure that there was no violence.
Calling the central government a 'jhooti sarkar" (government that lies), Hazare said, "They are not cheating me but the people of this country".
Hazare said the agitation will continue till a strong Lokpal is in place.
He said the aim is not to bring down this government. "Purpose will not be served by bringing down the government because another government that will come will do the same thing."
Hazare said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is an "honest man, a good man but is remote-controlled".
He lashed out at Home Minister P. Chidambaram, saying "if Lokpal law was there, he would have been in jail by now".
Hazare said Chidambaram had planned to do a Ramdev on him, a reference to the post-midnight police action to end the yoga teacher's agitation at New Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on the issue of black money abroad.
The Bangalore rally was also addressed by former Karnataka Lokayukta N. Santosh Hegde and former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Kiran Bedi, both prominent members of team Anna, and freedom fighter H.S. Doreswamy.