Hazare threatens to move Ramlila Maidan as govt. 'not abiding' by Lokpal, Lokayukta

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], Sept. 24 (ANI): Accusing the government of not abiding by the Lokpal and Lokayukta laws, social activist Anna Hazare on Saturday said he was toying with the idea of once again moving to Ramlila Maidan in Delhi. "Now, there are both Lok Pal and Lokayukta laws, but the government is not following them, and thus, I am thinking at this age, my age is 79, phir se Ramlila maidan (once again Ramlila Maidan)," said Hazare at a press conference. "I had started the movement for the Lok Pal because there was increasing corruption during the previous government. It was not that the corruption was affecting me, but the lives of the common people and the common households had become difficult due to soaring inflation. And, I was unable to bear the people's plight. I have decided that I will devote my life to the service of village, society and the people and would die serving them. The agitation was not just for Delhi. I have launched 16 hunger strikes thus far, we want the right to information, and I fought for it for eight years for the benefit of the public and finally the government made a law," he added. When asked about Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal and his former colleague becoming Delhi's Chief Minister, and expulsion of three of his ministers, Hazare said, "It is my misfortune; Arvind was with me for so many years and I have seen his sacrifices, his social and national views, and I thought he was a good person who wanted to do something good for the country. But I don't know what was going on in his (Kejriwal) mind, because the God has made a good thing that what is in your heart, I cannot understand, and what is in my heart, you cannot understand. Thus, what was in his (Kejri's) heart, I could not understand, but now I am realising that 'satta' (power) has entered into his mind. Hazare said he would follow Mahatma Gandhi's path of agitation, whereas if Kejriwal wats to launch a party, he could do so. "And, I had told him, 'you are launching a party, then we don't have any relationship and our ways are different now," he added. "However, I had asked a question to him that if he was forming a party, had the people joining his party have the strength of character, purity of thought and behaviour, sacrifice and power to bear their condemnation and what method you are adopting for admitting people in your party, but he could not give an answer to me. And today I am feeling that such a condition has arrived where three of the six leaders had to be expelled, because they did," he said. (ANI)