Give up vindictive approach, Hazare tells government

This attitude will otherwise create unrest in society, warns the anti-corruption crusader

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Sunday said the Union government was “vindictive” and warned that this attitude would create “unrest in society.”

He was upset at the government targeting his team members — Arvind Kejriwal has been slapped with Income Tax notice, while Kiran Bedi and Prashant Bhushan have been served breach of privilege notices.

Talking to journalists at his village, Ralegan Siddhi, he urged the government to create trust and give up “vindictive approach.” “This will otherwise create unrest in society,” Mr. Hazare said, say agency reports.

The social activist said power was corrupting those in the government. “No amount of intelligence works when a person is in power.”

Reiterating his remarks, he said those in the government were “liars.”

Two days ago, while being felicitated by villagers, Mr. Hazare called Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram “mischievous and liar.”

Mr. Hazare expressed concern over the way the government was behaving. He said: “Given the current conditions, I am worried what is happening to this country.”

At the core committee meeting to be held at Ralegan Siddhi on September 10 and 11, Mr. Hazare and his teammates will discuss the recent notices issued by the Centre.

Refuses security

Mr. Hazare has refused the ‘Z' category security provided to him by the Maharashtra government. He said there was no threat to him, and that he would write to State Home Minister R.R. Patil on the issue.

But, Mr. Patil said the government would request Mr. Hazare to accept the security cover. “I myself will talk to Anna Hazare,” he said in Mumbai.

Mr. Hazare said he did not want the State's resources to be spent on him. “A person can die of heart attack. What can protect against that,” he asked.

“Not a burden”

However, Ahmednagar Superintendent of Police Krishna Prakash said the security for Mr. Hazare would not be a burden on the State.

“We are not recruiting extra personnel for this. We feel that after his nationwide success, Anna Hazare needs to be protected,” he said.

Mr. Prakash denied having received any orders to take back the security cover. “Z category security is being provided to Mr. Hazare since Friday. It entails eight commandos and two protection officers,” he said.

Mr. Hazare had accepted the security cover on the condition that the police officers should be in plain clothes, as he did not want to distance himself from people.