Anna to organise big protest against 'deaf and dumb' govt

Anna Hazare today said he will organise a big protest against the ''deaf and dumb'' government, which, he alleged, was turning a blind eye to whistleblowers who are being targeted while fighting corruption.

Ahead of his one-day fast to demand justice to slain IPS officer Narender Kumar and a strong law to protect whistleblowers, he said many people have sacrificed their lives while fighting corruption.

He alleged that the government has not conducted any probe despite some incidents that took place three years back.

"Their (whistleblowers') mothers, their children, their fathers, their wives are crying for justice. But this government has gone dumb and deaf. It is not listening to the cries of people.

"There will be a big struggle. Then the government will listen. The government came up with MNREGA but these people were killed for trying to improve it," Hazare told reporters before heading to Rajghat from where he will go to Jantar Mantar for his one-day hunger strike.

Setting the stage for Hazare's fast, Team Anna has put the blame on the ruling Congress for "sabotaging" the Jan Lokpal Bill, marking a departure from its stand of not targeting a single party.

At least 15 people, who tried to blow the lid on scams or fought the menace of corruption in other ways, have been killed since 2010, according to Team Anna.

These killings have brought to fore the need for a strong whistleblowers' protection system, under control of Jan Lokpal and Jan Lokayukta, it has said.

Attacking the Congress, it has alleged, "The country knows it well that the Congress sabotaged the Jan Lokpal Bill meant to bring culprits to book in a speedy manner. If the Jan Lokpal would have been implemented, justice would not have remained elusive."