Anna to restructure his anti-corruption trust

PUNE: Social crusader Anna Hazare on Thursday announced that he would restructure his Bhrashtachar Virodhi Jana Andolan (BVJM) trust to widen its scope and create a team of volunteers who will mobilise voters against political parties that opposed the Lokpal bill in Parliament.

The volunteers will also create public pressure in favour of the right to reject, empowerment of gram sabhas, citizens' charter and bringing the police under the purview of the Lokpal/Lokayukta.

In a statement issued here, Hazare said the time has come to widen the scope of the anti-corruption movement to ensure that it did not remain a mere platform which exposed corruption cases. However, he reiterated that the volunteers will not form any political party or contest elections. "The team of around 4,000 volunteers will only give an alternative to the voters and empower them to bring about a transformation," he said.

Hazare said the trust was an anti-corruption movement, established in 1997, which spread throughout the state. "It was because of the efforts of the movement that action was taken against six corrupt ministers and 400 government officials. It also mobilised support for the Right To Information Act, raised a voice against delay in official work and arbitrary transfers of honest officials and sought more powers for gram sabhas. But if the scope of this movement is not widened, it will be reduced to a complaint redressal forum," he said.

The Gandhian said that after restructuring the trust, the volunteers will awaken voters against political parties and people's representatives who opposed the Lokpal bill. They will also urge people to elect only those who have a clean character. Underlining the need for the right to reject, Hazare said that it will stop criminals and corrupt people from getting elected. He said that gram sabhas needed more powers and their approval should be made mandatory for acquiring/utilising land, water or forest in the respective villages.

"Another issue to be taken up by the volunteers is time-bound completion of works by government officials and disposal of files. We also need laws that will bring the police under the purview of the Lokpal or Lokayukta," Hazare said, while appealing to youths of good character to register their names for the movement. He also said that after two months, he will tour every state in the country to mobilise people against corruption.