NEW DELHI, July 28 (IANS): Social activist Anna Hazare Thursday accused the government of cheating him and the entire nation by clearing the draft of the Lokpal bill that excludes the clauses the civil society has been fighting for.
"We said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should be brought under the ambit of the Lokpal bill. Also we discussed that all states should have Lokayukta (ombudsman). It was decided that all these things will be put forward while discussing the bill in the cabinet, but today we found that these were removed," Hazare told reporters.
"This is cheating -- not just with Anna Hazare but with the entire nation. If states don't have Lokayukta, then corruption will never end. So, we will sit on a fast in Jantar Mantar from Aug 16 on... I will fast until my last breath," he added.
The union cabinet Thursday approved the draft of the anti-corruption Lokpal bill, to be presented in the monsoon session of parliament beginning Aug 1.
The draft bill excludes from its ambit the prime minister, the chief justice of India and members of parliament for their actions inside the house, informed sources said.
"The government wrote to every chief minister, asking for their opinion on the Lokpal bill and all Congress-led states said that whatever the high command says they will agree. So this is cheating," Hazare alleged.
A 10-member committee, comprising five ministers and five civil rights leaders, was set up in April to draft the bill, but the two sides prepared separate versions following disagreements over key issues.
