Ahead of the start of fresh round of indefinite fast from Tuesday to demand the enactment of Janlokpal Bill, renowned social activist Anna Hazare said on Monday that the UPA Government’s failure to keep its promise of ensuring the passage of the anti-graft legislation in Parliament was one of the reasons for the Congress’ defeat in Assembly polls in four States.
Talking to mediapersons in his native village of Ralegan-Siddhi in western Maharashtra where he would begin his hunger agitation on Tuesday morning, Hazare said: “The Congress had assured the entire nation that it would enact the Janlok Pal bill soon. Since the UPA Government betrayed the people by going back on its promise vis-à-vis the Janlokpal bill, the voters in four States gave vent to their anger against the Congress, through the ballot”.
The Gandhian went onto warn the UPA Government that if it did not ensure the passage of the anti-graft bill in Parliament during the ongoing winter session, then the people across the country would reject the Congress-led ruling coalition outright in the 2014 lok Sabha polls. “The lokpal Bill has been lying in Rajya Sabha for the last one year. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has been making a promise after promise to me that it would ensure the passage of the bill in the upper house of Parliament. But, the Government has failed in ensuring the passage of the Bill in Rajya Sabha”.
Recalling that he had ended his fast in New Delhi two years ago after getting an assurance from two years after the UPA Government that it would ensure the early passage of the bill, Hazare said: “Though two years have passed, the Government has not fulfilled its the promise to me”. Hazare said that when he undertook the agitation for Janlokpal Bill in New Delhi, people came out streets earlier and the bill was passed in lok Sabha in one day. “After that, the bill went to the Standing Committee, then to the Rajya Sabha and to a Select Committee, he said.
“This bill came to Rajya Sabha after being passed everywhere and only discussions on it were left. It has now been over a year and the bill is just lying in the Rajya Sabha and there are 71 Congress MPs there. The bill is still stuck there,” he said. Hazare said he had several letters from the Government that the bill would be brought in the winter session of Parliament in 2012.