India: Hazare not to support Advanis anti-graft campaign

Veteran social activist Anna Hazare said on Tuesday that he would not support the anti-graft chariot procession of LK Advani, leader of Indias main opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), stating that the latters precession is driven by political opportunism.Hazare was speaking from his ancestral village, Ralegan Siddhi in western Indias Maharashtra state. He said that had Advani and the BJP really been serious about removing corruption, they would have taken a firm stand in support of the Ombudsman Bill, and facilitated the setting up of a Provincial Ombudsman in those states where they are in power.Rejecting the allegations against his associate, Arvind Kejriwal, for using derogatory language against federal institutions, Hazare said that these are baseless accusations, and said that the ruling Congress party only sought to divert attention from the anti-graft movement.Hazare said that the common man took to the street because of extreme frustration with their leaders.Hazare had demanded that the federal government immediately takes steps to eradicate corruption by formulating and implementing an effective anti-corruption law, the Lokpal (Ombudsman) Bill.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.