Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare railed against the UPA government’s home minister at a rally in Freedom Park on Saturday where some 30,000 people had gathered to hear the Gandhian speak.
But he failed to address the central issue of the rally in the city — “Save the Lokayukta” campaign, designed to put the state government in the dock for keeping the post vacant for over four months, and reinforcing criticism that he is biased against the UPA government.
“If there was a Lokpal, Chidambaram would be in jail,” he said in a 40-minute speech, to loud cheers from the audience, sticking to his one point agenda — the appointment of a Lokpal. Anna repeatedly attacked the union government calling them “liars” and “blind and deaf,” and in a broadside against the home minister said that P. Chidambaram would have been in the jail, if the Jan Lokpal Bill had come into effect.
He also said that Mr Chidambaram stopped Anna’s anti-corruption fight by deporting him to Pune after he was arrested on August 16.
Asked at a press conference held by Team Anna why Mr Hazare had not spoken on the main issue — “Saving the Karnataka Lokayukta’ — and in doing so had demonstrated that he was biased towards the RSS-backed BJP and virulently anti-Congress, defensive officials said that the activist had signed on the final document that called on the government to fill the vacancy.