Anna Hazare to protest on Sunday for Lokpal Bill

Mangaloretoday/ NDTV

New Delhi, March13:  Anna Hazare will protest for a day in Delhi on Sunday in support of the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill, which he championed throughout last year.  Anna, who is 74, will stage the protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.

 
The Lokpal Bill, named for a new national anti-graft agency, was passed by the Lok Sabha in December last year. But the Rajya Sabha was given just one day to debate the legislation. Opposition parties and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress moved nearly 200 amendments to the bill. Finally, the House was adjourned at midnight without a vote. Because that was the last day of the winter session, the Lokpal Bill now has to be discussed by the Rajya Sabha in this session. The opposition BJP wants to know exactly when that will happen. The government says the House must first focus on crucial financial bills like the Union Budget.
 
In August last year, Anna held an epic 12-day hunger strike in Delhi where thousands gathered around him every day. He ended his fast only when Parliament agreed to consider three must-haves that he listed for the Lokpal Bill.