New Delhi, Oct 28 (ANI): Aiming to counter 'corrupt forces' from breaking the nationwide anti-graft movement, veteran social activist Anna Hazare's close aide Kumar Vishwas on Friday called for an overhaul of the core committee of activists fighting for the enactment of a strong Lokpal Bill.
Stung by the string of allegations levelled against certain members of Hazare's core team, such as Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and Prashant Bhushan, Vishwas highlighted the need to restructure the committee in order to prevent it from losing the masses' faith and support.
Conveying his views to Hazare through a letter, Vishwas even proposed the Gandhian activist to 'dissolve' the committee- an idea that is bound to spark yet another controversy.
Revealing the contents of the letter, Vishwas maintained that overhauling the committee would silence nefarious elements from tarnishing the image of the activists.
"Aiming to derail Anna Hazare's nationwide campaign for a graft-free India and the struggle for the Ombudsman Bill, certain corrupt forces have been levelling baseless allegations to tarnish the images of the campaign's main faces. In the wake of these developments, I have appealed to Anna Hazare to either dissolve or expand his core committee to include the millions of Indians supporting his struggle," Vishwas told mediapersons here.
Highlighting the anti-graft activists' impeccable moral integrity, Vishwas warned the masses to refrain from falling prey to government propaganda aimed at diverting public attention from the issue of corruption and Ombudsman Bill.
"This is the first time India has risen for a cause since Independence. We do not want that baseless and frivolous allegations levelled by certain people against key members of the core committee tarnish and damage the entire movement. We do not want the government to pass and enact a weak Ombudsman Bill by diverting the attention of the masses from central issues pertaining to the legislation," said Vishwas.
"We want the people who supported Anna Hazare's movement a few months ago to keep their focus on these issues. We will bear all personal victimisation, we are ready to go to jail or be punished, but we will not let the fight against corruption weaken in any way," he added.
The anti-graft legislation is seen as a weapon to root out corruption and nepotism from the government machinery and in public life.
The proposed Bill envisages the setting up of a national anti-corruption watchdog to check financial mismanagement and corrupt practices that have deeply pervaded several democratic and civic institutions of India. (ANI)
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