Anna Hazare attacks Kejriwal, says did not expect liquor policy from his govt

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare has written a two-page letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was part of Hazare’s movement on Lokpal Bill, saying that he did not expect “such a policy from the Delhi government”. Pointing out that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was born out of a huge movement for Lokpal Bill, “it seems that people are stuck in the vicious circle of money and power.”

“After becoming the chief minister, you have forgotten about the Lokpal and Lokayukta, which were at the centre of the anti-corruption movement. In the assembly, you have not even once tried to bring in place a strong Lokayukta. Now your government has brought in a policy which will ruins lives, and affects women too,” the 85-year-old activist wrote in a sharply-worded letter.

Also read: CBI raids Sisodia’s house; what’s the controversy on Delhi liquor policy?

“This shows that your words are different from your actions,” he said. Hazare claimed that the new excise policy can encourage corruption. He also cited the protests he had led over the liquor policies in Maharashtra, giving an example of a policy which gave women in villages to voice objection to the sale of alcohol. A copy of the letter was shared by news agency ANI.

Anti-corruption movement

The Indian anti-corruption movement, popularly known as Anna Andolan, was a series of demonstrations and protests across India that began in 2011 and was intended to establish strong legislation and enforcement against perceived endemic political corruption.

The movement aimed to alleviate corruption in the Indian government through introduction of the Jan Lokpal Bill. Another aim, which was led by Ramdev, Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and others was the repatriation of black money from foreign banks.

Raid on Sisodia

Hazare’s letter comes on a day when deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s bank locker at a Punjab National Bank branch in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad district was searched by CBI officials.

Also read: Lutyens Delhi unlikely to have liquor vends from Sep 1

“Got a clean chit,” Sisodia said after a half-hour long search, a day after saying that the probe agency’s officials could not find anything during searches at his home.

Arvind Kejriwal and his party leaders have been claiming that the BJP has been trying to topple the elected government in the national capital by making claims on the liquor policy.