Congress ditched me, says Hazare

Anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare from Ralegansiddhi has slammed the Congress government and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh for excluding many government departments from the ambit of Lokpal Bill.u00a0He has declared a one-day token strike on December 11 at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, and has warned the government to go on an indefinite hunger strike from December 27 at the Ramlila ground.u00a0

Anna has also appealed to the people that they carry out the one-day hunger strike at the local level. "The one-day strike is a trailer and the main show shall be on December 27," he said. "The Congress has ditched me by excluding the PM's post, the judiciary and the CBI from Lokpal Bill. Not just me, but crores of Indians have been cheated. This will be costly for the government and they will have to pay the price for my agitation," he added.

u00a0Hazare from Ralegansiddhi has said that he would tour five states in the country during the state assembly elections and explain to the people the reality of the ruling government and the provisions of the Lokpal Bill.u00a0

Referring to the letter issued by the PM, 10 days ago, Hazare said, " He (PM) had assured me that the Lokpal Bill would be effective. But the bill has been weakened by excluding government departments."

Jaisingh Mapari, Sarpanch, Ralegansiddhi, said that they u00a0would accompany Anna to Jantar Mantar on December 11. "It is really sad that the PM, who sent a letter to Anna promising to include the government department in the Lokpal Bill, could not keep his promise," he said.u00a0

K D Pawar, president of Bhrashachar Virodhi Jan Andolan Trust (BVJAT), Pune, said they were all with Hazare and would ensure his mission is completed in the state. "Hazare was insisting these departments come under the preview of Lokpal bill so that the common man will not have to face corruption at any level," he said.