Anna Hazare set to begin hunger strike over Lokpal issue

Ahmednagar: Noted Gandhian activist and anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare is set to begin an indefinite hunger strike from October 2 to protest against the Centre's alleged dilly-dallying on the issue of appointing a competent anti-corruption ombudsman or Lokpal.

Hazare has accused the BJP-led government of not fulfilling its promise of appointing a strong Lokpal despite coming to power due to the Lokpal agitation.

The anti-corruption crusader had last week written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that in the last four years the government only made tall promises but did not appoint Lokpal and Lokayukta.

"On August 16, 2011, the entire country took to the streets for the appointment of Lokpal and Lokayukta...Your government came to power because of that agitation," Hazare wrote in his letter on Thursday.

"Gratefulness is our culture. You (government) should have been grateful towards people and given priority to their demand," Hazare, who had launched an indefinite fast over the issue in Delhi in 2011, said.

"Four years have passed but the government is avoiding the appointment of Lokpal and Lokayukta on one or the other pretext," he alleged.

The noted Gandhian activist alleged that the Prime Minister did not fulfil the "written assurances" given to him when he ended his recent hunger strike on the issue at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan in March this year.

Hazare had earlier announced that he would sit on fast at Ralegan Siddhi from October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

He also said in the letter that the BJP-led government at the Centre had promised to look into his demand of grant of autonomy to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) but it did nothing.

The CACP determines the minimum support prices of various agricultural commodities.

Hazare said that farmers are not getting adequate price for their produce which is leading to farmer suicides.

"The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices is controlled by the Agriculture Department and hence the prices of farm produce are low. We had requested many times that it should be given autonomy, like in the case of Election Commission," he said. 

(With Agency Inputs)