By IANS,
New Delhi : Anna Hazare Tuesday said he has no intention of entering politics at the age of 74, and warned the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government that if the Jan Lokpal bill is not passed, he would be “forced” to agitate against the government.
Conferred the NDTV Indian of the Year award along with his associate Arvind Kejriwal, Hazare, sitting in his house in his village Ralegan Siddhi in Maharashtra, scribbled the answers when he was asked about joining politics and his agitation. The crusader has taken a vow of silence since Sunday.
“If the government fails to pass the Jan Lokpal bill in the winter session of parliament, then I will be forced to launch agitation against the government,” he scribbled and one of his associates read it out.
“At the age of 74, he has no intentions of joining politics,” the associate said.
Kejriwal said that Team Anna was not “anti any party.”
“We have no hatred towards any party, and we have no support to any party. We only demand the Jan Lokpal bill so that a law comes in force through which corrupt people can get punished.
“Since the Congress is in power, it is their responsibility to pass the law. We are only saying pass the bill. The day it is passed…we will withdraw our opposition,” he added.
He also said that “good people should join politics, but some good people should also remain out of politics”.
“We have chosen to remain out of politics and put pressure on the government,” he added.
Hazare is leading a campaign against the government to bring a strong Lokpal bill in the country that would check corruption in high places.
He has led two such agitations in New Delhi in April and then in August. Under the banner of India Against Corruption, Hazare and his team members for the first time campaigned in the Hisar by-polls asking people not to vote for Congress. The Congress candidate lost his deposit and came third.