By IANS,
New Delhi : In a fresh appeal, social activist Anna Hazare Friday urged people in Hisar in Haryana not to vote for the Congress in the Oct 13 Lok Sabha by-election, alleging that the party is not committed to passing the civil society’s Jan Lokpal Bill.
“I appeal to the people of Hisar not to vote for the Congress party and their candidate should be defeated as the party is not committed to passing the Jan Lokpal Bill,” Anna Hazare said in a video message posted on You Tube.
The 74-year-old activist said he had some time back written to all the political parties seeking their support on the Jan Lokpal Bill.
“Most of the parties, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), replied to me affirming their support but I have not received any communication from the Congress,” he said.
Hazare said he would call off his anti-Congress campaign if the party commits to passing the Jan Lokpal Bill in the winter session of parliament.
“If Congress is committed to passing the Jan Lokpal bill, then we would not hold any agitation. Instead, we would appeal to the people to check the antecedents of the candidates and vote for the good ones,” he added.
The 10-minute video shows footage of Hazare’s movements in the capital.
The video was released to the media by India Against Corruption, an NGO that has been spearheading the movement. The NGO said its convener Arvind Kejriwal will campaign in Hisar in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill till Oct 10.
“Defeat the Congress party in this election and this will send a message that if the Jan Lokpal Bill is not passed in the winter session, the party would be defeated in all other elections,” said Kejriwal.
On Tuesday, he had announced in Ralegan Siddhi that he would launch his campaign in Hisar for passage of the Jan Lokpal Bill.
In August, Hazare had held a 12-day fast in support of a stringent Lokpal Bill.