Oppn unites over Hazare’s arrest

“The government has no moral right to continue in office. The government’s action has portrayed India poorly at the international level,” Gowda said after launching ‘Aadhar’,the unique identity card programme.

The UPA government should bring in a strong Jan Lokpal Bill to fight corruption,he said.

Referring to the protests in parts of Karnataka in support of Hazare,Gowda said he has directed the police to take steps to maintain law and order.

“The state government is monitoring the situation closely,” Gowda said.

BJP MP Maneka Gandhi

BJP MP Maneka Gandhi today criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement over Anna Hazare’s arrest and said she does not believe that the standing committee on Lokpal would incorporate the Gandhian’s views on it.

A day after her son and BJP MP Varun Gandhi said he plans to introduce Hazare’s version of Lokpal Bill as a private member’s Bill in Parliament,Maneka alleged the government was trying to brand the Gandhian as a “traitor”.

“The Prime Minister has said Anna Hazare could have appeared before the standing committee and given his view point. But the Jan Lokpal Committee,in which Hazare and his team are members,did not incorporate any of their inputs.

“Therefore,there is no reason to believe that the government would incorporate their inputs and change the government’s version of the Bill,” Maneka told reporters outside Parliament House.

She alleged the government was trying to bring a “weak” Lokpal.

The former Union Minister also slammed the government for denying Hazare and his supporters their democratic rights to stage a peaceful protest.

“In a democracy,he has every right to protest. He is not threatening the government. He was simply sitting on a hunger strike. If the Prime Minister concedes that he has the right to protest,then conditions cannot be laid,” she said.

“To treat electors so shamefully does not speak well for our democracy,” she said.

BJP Lok Sabha member Shatrughan Sinha

Supporting the anti-corruption agitation of Anna Hazare,actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha today said the campaign has resemblance to the 1974 J P movement “which brought about a historic change” in the country.

“The anti-corruption campaign of Anna Hazare for the Lokpal Bill and the UPA government action to gag the voice against corruption reminds me of the 1974 movement launched by Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan which had united the entire Opposition and brought a historic change in the country,” Sinha,BJP Lok Sabha member from Patna Saheb,said.

Sinha,a close follower of Jayaprakash Narayan,also criticised the move of sending Hazare to Tihar Jail.

“The rallying of common man in support of Hazare has resemblance with the backing Jayaprakash Narayan had received against Emergency in mid-70s,” Sinha said.

“First they swooped in the middle of the night on peaceful demonstrators led by Ramdev and now Hazare has been prevented from leading a peaceful agitation against corruption,” he said.

He claimed that majority of people in the film world are also supporting the issue raised by Hazare and criticising the government for showing “intolerance” over protest against social ills.

“The kind of support Hazare is getting from people in Bihar and elsewhere indicates that the popularity of Manmohan Singh government has touched an all time low,” he said,adding this would be demonstrated in the coming polls in Uttar Pradesh,Gujarat,Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

Former Uttarakhand chief minister B C Khanduri

People from all walks of life including,former Uttarakhand chief minister B C Khanduri,today took out rallies in support of social activist Anna Hazare’s fight for a strong Lokpal Bill against corruption.

Expressing solidarity with Hazare,Khanduri led a march which was attended by state BJP president Bishan Singh Chufal and other BJP leaders besides a large number of people.

Starting from Shivaji dharmshala,the march passed through one of the busiest markets Paltan Bazar and culminated in the form of a public meeting at Gandhi Park.

Khanduri said the Centre’s attitude in the case of Hazare has reminded him of “Emergency”,when voices of dissents were crushed. Echoing similar views,Chufal said the people of the country have stood with the Gandhian as they want to get rid of corruption.

Advocates under the banner of Uttarakhand Bar Association also took out a rally in support of Hazare and stayed away from routine work of the courts.

The students of DAV PG college organised a rally to lend their support to Hazare in his fight against corruption.

Meanwhile,people from other parts of the state organised rallies in support of Hazare.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati

BSP supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati today said her party extends support to social activist Anna Hazare in his campaign against corruption.

“BSP and its government in Uttar Pradesh is against corruption and criminalisation of the politics since beginning and the party supports Anna Hazare in his campaign,” Mayawati said in a statement.

She said that not only Anna Hazare and ‘India Against Corruption’,the party welcomes all the organisations which are protesting against corruption and criminalisation of politics.

“The manner in which Anna Hazare and his supporters were arrested from their residence in Delhi yesterday was not correct from democratic point of view,” Mayawati said.

She said there were some differences between the Congress and members of the civil society over the Lokpal Bill introduced in the Parliament and “both the parties should sit together and reach a consensus so that differences could be sorted out and a good law be framed to check corruption.”

Mayawati said BSP was the only party in the country which have not spared even its ministers,MLAs and MPs for taking law in their hand and got them arrested.