Anna Hazare sticks to Lokpal Bill, his team guns for 'corrupt' ministers

New Delhi: Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare and his team on Tuesday spoke in different voices on the indefinite fast from July 25 with the activist asserting that it is for Lokpal Bill while his aides said it is limited to their three demands, including a special probe into allegations against corrupt ministers.

While Anna served an ultimatum to the UPA government to decide on the issue within four days failing which he threatened to go on hunger strike from Sunday, his close associate Arvind Kejriwal alleged that President-elect Pranab Mukherjee and 15 central ministers including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh were corrupt and the government is doing nothing to prosecute them.

Anna had earlier in the day announced that he will join other Team Anna members in the fast on Wednesday. Instead of fast, he will sit on a dharna on Wednesday, he said. Earlier through a video message, he had called for a 'jail bharo' agitation if the government does not take action on the demand.

$Anna sticks to Lokpal, team guns for \'corrupt\' ministers$

Anna Hazare has also threatened to organise a jail bharo campaign if his demands aren\'t met in three to four days.

Blaming the government, Anna and his associates at a press conference on Monday evening said that the government has given several assurances on curbing corruption but there has been no positive outcome.

Calling it a do-or-die situation, Kejriwal said, "Pranab Mukherjee is also among the 15 corrupt ministers. It's unfortunate he will become the President tomorrow."

Kejriwal added, "We appeal to all countrymen to fast along with us tomorrow."

"All those parties who supported Pranab have betrayed the country. 162 MPs in Lok Sabha and 39 MPs in Rajya Sabha have cases of corruption against them. Fast-track courts should be made to dispose off such cases against them," demanded Kejriwal.

Alleging that the government is trying to divide his team, Anna said he wants the Lokpal Bill to be brought immediately.

Questions were raised at a press conference about the demands of the team as Anna spoke only about Lokpal Bill while his close aides Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan talked about other three demands.

Asked to clarify the position whether Lokpal Bill is an issue for the protest, Bhushan said their protest is 'limited' to an SIT probe against Ministers, a fast track court to try cases against MPs and the SIT to go into allegations against party chiefs.

However, Anna immediately took the microphone and said "the fight is for Lokpal Bill" and went on to add that till the 15 ministers against whom they have raised allegations are jailed if they are guilty, the country would not get a strong anti-corruption mechanism.

Kejriwal said the country would not get a Lokpal if the corrupt ministers did not go to jail.

On the fast, Anna said he was persuaded by his team not to sit on fast from Wednesday because of his health. "I have told my villagers that I will also sit on fast from tomorrow. My blood pressure is also fluctuating. But the team told me that the fight is long and I should not fast now. I acceeded to their wish.

"But I will wait till four days what the government does. Then I will start my fast from Sunday," he said.

Team Anna had earlier announced that Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Gopal Rai would sit on indefinite fast. "This is a fight to finish. Not to participate (in the fast), is not right. Till the government concedes, the fight will go on," Anna said.

Kejriwal said they will not be fooled by false assurances this time.

Hazare also spoke about his recent secret meeting with Law Minister Salman Khurshid and claimed that he had told him that the government was willing to acceede to their demands for a strong Lokpal. "He told me that the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi have given permission in this regard," he said.

Asked whether he is hopeful that the government will come up with a solution in four days, he said, "They have not done anything in the past one and half years. What will happen in four days, let us see."

On Ramdev's participation, he said the yoga guru had told him that he will join him in a couple of days as he is busy with the arrest of his close aide Balkrishna.

Another Team Anna member Kiran Bedi said the government should come clean on the allegations raised against it and it is in its interest to do so.

With Additional Inputs from PTI