Anna on NaMo

Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare questioned Narendra Modi as a prime ministerial candidate in the next general elections saying the Gujarat chief minister was not sincere about rooting out corruption as he has not taken steps for setting up a Lokayukta, a post lying vacant since 2003 in the state.
“I want to ask Modi why has he not made Gujarat corruption free and why did he not bring a bill for setting up Lokayukta in his state,” he said in reply to questions by reporters. So many complaints of corruption have been coming from Gujarat, he said.
“People are tossing his (Modi’s) name for the PM’s post ... If he is so good a candidate why did he not bring a strong Lokayukta bill?” Hazare, who launched his ‘Janatantra Morcha’ here on Wednesday, said.
“This proves that Modi is not interested in making a corruption-free India,” the Gandhian said.
On a question on the probable future PM, he said, “Anybody can become PM - what difference will it make ? The country has seen so many prime ministers in the past 65 years what difference has it brought? Change will come only when people will have the independence to choose their PM.”

Anna 2.0

Anna Hazare launched a new outfit, Jantantra Morcha, at a rally in Patna. “Our aim now is to change the system. This can be brought about by passing the Jan Lokpal Bill and decentralizing power to gram sabhas and ward sabhas,” he said.
The activist said the outfit would not join politics and that he now plans to tour the country. “I wish to awaken only six crore of the country’s 120-crore population,” he said. With six crore people with him, the government would be forced to pass the bill, he added.
Hazare said they would next make Parliament introduce the right to reject and recall unworthy candidates. In his 45-minute speech, he did not refer at all to former Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal.

Anna Hazare targets Congress, BJP

Reacting sharply to the six-day parliamentary deadlock, social activist Anna Hazare accused both the Congress and the BJP of corruption in coal block allocation in his blog.
Supporting Sunday’s agitation by India Against Corruption volunteers, he said people only wanted to know where the politicians had spent public money. Accusing political parties of squandering away public money, he said the House had not been allowed to discuss the CAG report yet.

The gloves are off within erstwhile Team Anna with one of its core members Kiran Bedi, conspicuous by her absence at Sunday’s protest, coming out in support of the BJP in sharp contrast to her colleagues.
Bedi’s affinity to the opposition party could spell bad news for the fledgling political movement that erstwhile Team Anna is planning to establish. She is the only prominent woman face in the agitation.