Anna Hazare to campaign against MPs opposing Jan Lokpal Bill in 2014 general election.

 Hoping to carry his anti-graft campaign forward, Anna Hazare on Sunday announced that he would travel across the country to educate the people about the various provisions of the Jan Lokpal bill and also exhort them to vote against the MPs opposed to their version of the legislation during the next general election. 

"The government Lokpal draft was fraudulent.Corruption would increase if a legislation is passed on the basis of government's draft,'' the Gandhian, who had in August undertaken a 13-day-long fast at the Ramlila Grounds in the Capital to press for the acceptance of the Jan Lokpal bill, told newspersons in his village, Ralegaon Sidhi, in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra at the conclusion of two-day meeting of his core committee members. "We will also see which member of the Standing Committee opposes the Jan Lokpal bill," Hazare said, adding that houses of such members would be gheraoed. The standing committee on law and justice, which is headed by Congress Rajya Sabha member Abhishek Manu Singhvi, is presently studying the various versions of the Lokpal bill. "People should stage a sit-in in front of their houses and chant Raghupati Raghav Rajaram, he said, adding he would campaign against MPs opposing the Jan Lokpal bill in the 2014 Lok Sabha election. "I will tour constituencies where these MPs will seek re-election and urge people not to vote for them,'' Hazare said. Reiterating that that the second battle for Independence had begun, Hazare expressed confidence that, "eventually, victory will be ours." "It is not Hazare, but God who was behind the success of the anti-corruption agitation," he observed and urged his supporters not to let the torch of this anti-corruption agitation douse till the country is rid of corruption,'' he said. Hazare also announced that he will undertake a countrywide tour next month after his health improves. Talking about his fast at the Ramlila Maidan, he said, "There were five to six people in the UPA government to consider themselves as Prime Minister. During my 12-day fast, there was nobody to take decision. Sonia Gandhi had gone abroad. The government's position had become weird. Aiming at devising a strategy for passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill in Parliament, the two-day meeting of the core committee of Team Anna began in Ralegan Siddhi on Saturday.


Key members of Team Anna -- including Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Santosh Hegde, Shanti Bhushan, Prashant Bhushan and Manish Sisodia -- are present in the meeting, which is being described as the first formal engagement after Hazare's fast in New Delhi last month. The meeting commenced at 11:30 am. Before commencement of the meeting, Hazare told PTI that he core committee will discuss the outcome of the agitation and also decide on the future course of action.


"People must ask the parliamentarians about their role in the Jan Lokpal Bill movement. People must be careful while electing the MPs in future. Those MPs who are either against the Jan Lokpal Bill or passive about it must not be given a second chance. The fight against corruption would continue till India is freed from corruption," he said.


According to insiders, the meeting will also discuss ways to further mobilise public opinion in favour of the Jan Lokpal Bill to make it an instrument for achieving the goal of a corruption-free India.