By IANS,
Hisar (Haryana) : Team Anna is treating the Hisar Lok Sabha by-election as a referendum on the Jan Lokpal bill, its senior leader Arvind Kejriwal said here Sunday.
“We are treating the Hisar by-election as a referendum on the Jan Lokpal bill. Let’s wait for the result of the Hisar constituency. People are giving overwhelming support to Annaji’s movement,” said Kejriwal, who has been campaigning against the Congress party and in support of the anti-corruption movement since Saturday.
Responding to a statement by a senior Congress leader that Hisar election was not of national importance, he said: “If the Hisar byelection is not important, I think it is an insult to the voters of Hisar. Voters of Hisar should see and figure out for themselves that the Congress is openly saying that they don’t want their votes. Why should they vote for the Congress?”
The by-election to the Hisar seat takes place Oct 13 and the result will be out Oct 17. The by-election to the Hisar seat, to be held Oct 13, was necessitated after former chief minister and sitting MP Bhajan Lal’s death in June.
The contest for this seat is tough for the three main players — Kuldeep Bishnoi of the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) who is son of Bhajan Lal, Indian National Lok Dal’s (INLD) Ajay Chautala who is son of former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, and three-time former MP Jai Prakash of the Congress.
Justifying social activist Anna Hazare’s call to the people not to vote for the Congress, Kejriwal said that people were free to chose from any of the other candidates.
“Annaji has given a call not to vote for the Congress. There are 45 candidates in the fray. People can vote for the best. At the local level, people know who is good or bad,” he said.
Kejriwal said that there was no question of Team Anna compromising its stand over the Jan Lokpal bill.
“Some people have approached Annaji. There cannot be a compromise on the Jan Lokpal bill,” he said.
Kejriwal has been accompanied by Hazare’s associate Manish Sisodia during the campaign at different places of the Hisar seat.
Former police officer Kiran Bedi is expected to join the anti-Congress campaign Monday.