New Delhi: Hundreds of Anna Hazare supporters, many of them carrying national flags and sporting T-shirts with his name, participated in a car and bike rally in the capital Sunday to drum up support for the social activist’s version of Lokpal bill.
The rally, which started from Rajghat in central Delhi, ended at Tughlakabad Maidan in south Delhi around 2 p.m.
Speaking at the rally, Team Anna member Kiran Bedi said that the people need to be made aware about government’s moves on the Lokpal bill. “We have to spread the word that the government is betraying us. Everyone doesn’t have the knowledge about what is going on. Everyone is not a policeman or a lawyer nor does everybody have the legal knowledge and we need to tell them,” Bedi said.
The rally was organised by India Against Corruption, the umbrella organisation of Hazare’s anti-graft movement, to showcase their disappointment with the government’s version of the anti-graft law.
Bedi later told reporters that Central Bureau of Investigation should not be “in control” of the government. “Keeping the CBI under their control, they have shown that they are not serious about tackling corruption. Is this why we (Team Anna) worked so hard and agitated at Ramlila ground and Anna went on a hunger strike,” Bedi said.
The parliamentary standing committee looking into the Lokpal bill has apparently favoured exclusion of Group C, the bottom layer of government officials, from the ambit of the anti-graft bill. IAC spokesperson Aswathi Muralidharan said the organisation had given an open call to the people to participate in the rally.
“We have had an overwhelming response. About 400 car and bikes participated in the rally we covered about 25 kms from Rajghat to Tughlakabad Maidan,” she said.
IAC volunteer Sandeep Saxena, who took part in the event, said he had borrowed his brother’s car to take part in the rally. “By participating in these kind of protests, we can express support for Anna Hazare. I support Annaji and want him to continue his campaign against corruption,” he said.
Hazare is scheduled to sit on a day-long protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar Dec 11 against the draft Lokpal bill being prepared by the government. (IANS)