Rahul Gandhi meets Lucknow villagers

Lucknow:  Anna Hazare is in Delhi today, hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for a weak Lokpal but the Congress leader left the capital for Uttar Pradesh.

After hectic meetings with party workers and candidates in Lucknow on Saturday, he then went on to the Neeva barauli village on the outskirts of the city.

There he held a chaupaal with the villagers who belonged to 'chaurasia' community in the village. The villagers huddled around a bonfire and shared their problems with the Congress General Secretary, who gave them a patient hearing and promised that he would help them.

Rahul diluting Lokpal bill draft, says Anna Hazare

PUNE: Social crusader Anna Hazare  on Friday accused Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi  of diluting the Lokpal bill draft.

He also said he would start an eightday fast at Ramlila maidan from December 27 if the Lokpal bill was not passed in the winter session of Parliament or if a weak Lokpal bill was passed.

Addressing a news conference at his native village Ralegan Siddhi, Hazare said he strongly suspected Rahul Gandhi of "interfering" in the making of the Lokpal draft so that it became weak.

"Gandhi said he wanted the Lokpal to be a constitutional body, but he does not say that there will be no government interference in its functioning. The law about Lokpal must have a provision to rule out such interference," he said.

Hazare said that after his fast gets over, he would tour Uttar Pradesh , Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, which face assembly elections next year.

"I will stage a three-day agitation in each state and tell the people that the government is cheating them. I am aware that the government will not allow me to continue my fast beyond eight days," he said.

The Gandhian reiterated that the government's intention about Lokpal was "not right".

"The Prime Minister gave me a written assurance in August about including lower-ranking government officials within the ambit of Lokpal, having a citizen's charter and setting up a strong Lokayukta in every state on the lines of the Lokpal. Parliament gave a letter to this effect to the standing committee. Still, the promises were not kept. Isn't this cheating?" he asked.

Referring to a statement made by a politician in Delhi that the government will not dance to Hazare's tune, he said, "If anything happens to me during my agitation, the people should hold the government responsible. Even if I die, people will say there was a 'mad man' who always fought for people's causes."

Hazare also reiterated that he wanted the CBI and the Prime Minister within the purview of the Lokpal and also pressed for the right to recall. "The chief election commission had said 10 years ago that there should be a right to recall. I am not raising any new issue", he said.

Anna Hazare salvo at Rahul Gandhi for ‘bill dilution’

PUNE: Social activist Anna Hazare on Friday blamed Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi for diluting the Lokpal Bill draft, saying he "strongly suspected'' him of "interfering" in the legislation process to make it weak.

"Gandhi said he wanted the Lokpal to be a constitutional body, but he does not say there will be no government interference in its functioning. The law about Lokpal must have a provision to rule out such interference," Hazare told reporters at Ralegan Siddhi.

The activist threatened to go on an eight-day hunger strike at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan from December 27, if the bill is not passed or a weak legislation is passed during the Parliament's winter session. Hazare said he would then stage a three-day agitation each in poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur and tell people that the government was cheating them. "I am aware that the government will not allow me to continue my fast beyond eight days."

The Gandhian accused the government of having "wrong intentions" about the Lokpal and going back on its promises. "The Prime Minister gave me a written assurance in August about including lower-ranking government officials in the ambit of Lokpal, having a citizen's charter and setting up a strong Lokayukta in every state on the lines of the Lokpal," he said.

"Parliament gave a letter to this effect to the standing committee. Still, the promises were not kept. Isn't this cheating?" He said the people should hold the government responsible if anything happens to him during the agitation. "Even if I die, people will say there was a mad man, who always fought for the people's causes."

Hazare reiterated his demand for the CBI and the PM's inclusion in the Lokpal purview besides the right to recall.

Anna Hazare losing his credibility: Digvijaya

New Delhi: Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Friday fired a fresh salvo at Team Anna saying Anna Hazare was losing his credibility with his conflicting utterances on the Lokpal issue and claimed his campaign against party in Uttar Pradesh would have "zero" impact.

"Anna is losing his credibility gradually by making such statements. One day he says that defeat Congress. The second day he says I am not against any party but against corrupt candidate. Next days he says, I am going to campaign against the Congress party. He should make up his mind first and think before he says something," Singh told reporters.

Digvijaya Singh said that Hazare should sit back silently and wait till the
 Winter session.

He was reacting to Hazare's declaration on Friday that he would campaign against Congress in five states where Assembly elections are due next year if the UPA government fails to get the Jan Lokpal Bill passed in the Winter Session of Parliament.

"It will have zero impact in UP," said Singh when asked how much Team Anna's campaign could affect Congress in the state.

He said that Hazare should sit back silently and wait till the Winter session, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, himself, had assured him to bring the bill in this session.

Singh also took a jibe at Arvind Kejriwal over his letter to the Prime Minister on returning his service dues and said the activist's efforts to seek "martyrdom" would not succeed.

"Kejriwal is presenting this matter in a way that injustice was meted out to him. He filled up the bond form, it was he, who did not fulfill its conditions....There is no question of any martyrdom in this, which he is unnecessarilty trying to create around. This halo will not last," Singh said.