NASHIK, Oct 2: The Bhrastachar Virodhi Jan Andolan led by veteran social worker Anna Hazare has decided to launch an agitation from October 3 to 9 all over the State. It is demanding the declaration of assets of elected representatives, the right to information and the right to recall elected representatives.The agitation programme was announced by a trustee of the Andolan Baba Adhav, who along with other leaders of the Andolan like Prof G P Pradhan and Pushpa Bhave led a morcha in Nashik today and addressed a public meeting.Anna Hazare was to lead the morcha and address the public meeting. However, he did not do so as he was advised by his lawyers to stay away. Andolan leaders said that the hearing of Anna's appeal in the defamation case filed by Social Welfare Minister Babanrao Gholap was scheduled on October 5 and hence Anna was advised to stay away from today's morcha.The Andolan's morcha, however evoked poor response, considering that it was a state-level agitation. A few hundred people turnedup from different parts of the State, most of them eager to see and hear Anna. Among those who participated in the morcha were the Sarpanch of Ralegan Siddhi village, Ganpatrao Awti, and the State unit chief of the Janata Dal and Malegaon MLA Nihal Ahmed.The morcha which started from the Hutatma Smarak winded its way to Bhalekar High School grounds via Ashok Stambh, Ravivar Karanja and Shalimar. Speakers exhorted people to participate in the movement to eradicate corruption from public life. The charges levied by Anna against Gholap were publicly read out by Baba Adhav, who pointed out that despite submitting documentary evidence to Chief Minister Manohar Joshi in Gholap's case, nothing was done.The Andolan asked people to visit elected representatives of their areas and ask them to declare their assets. They were also asked to visit government offices and seek information on various public works and the properties of officials.The Andolan leaders demanded the right to information and the right torecall elected representatives. Adhav pointed out that the people wanted to know various things like who were the beneficiaries of houses granted under the chief minister's discretionary quota, who were the beneficiaries of ashram schools and powerlooms bought by the social welfare ministry headed by Gholap.The speakers said that the conviction of Anna Hazare in the defamation case filed by Gholap did not mean that Gholap had been acquitted of corruption charges. They said that the agitation had just begun and that it would be made more extensive to cover all elected representatives and government officials.
