Anna Hazare to tour country campaigning for Jan Lokpal Bill

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare today said he would tour the entire country for the next one and a half years to campaign on his demand for the Jan Lokpal Bill. Hazare, who launched his 'Janatantra' movement in Patna on January 30 to fight for changing the system, expressed confidence that he would be able to rope in atleast six crore committed people to fight for the cause.

Noting that the Jan Lokpal Bill would not remove corruption totally, but only about 50 percent, he said other measures like 'Right to Reject' and 'power to gram sabhas', as envisaged by the 'Janatantra' movement are needed to root out corruption and to "change the system".

"These measures," he said, "would mount pressure on political parties and lawmakers to serve the people in a sincere manner and usher in clean politics and not behave like masters of the people as it is the case today." Had the anti-corruption measures as sought by him been in place, at least 15 ministers in the UPA government would have been behind bars, he said.
Alleging that the government was not sincere in bringing the Jan Lokpal bill, he said he would continue to fight for it till his last breath. The 'Janatantra' movement would be apolitical and have no core committee, as existed during the Jan Lokpal campaign undertaken by 'Team Anna', and all those who are part of it would be its leaders. He said he would build up the campaign to reform the system from the grassroots level by extensively touring the country. Hazare, who circulated mobile phone numbers at the Patna rally where the movement was launched, said that 25,000 text messages were received. He announced his mobile number at the end of his speech here too.