As part of Team Anna's demand for an autonomous probe into corruption allegations against 14 Union ministers, India Against Corruption's (IAC) city chapter staged a protest rally yesterday.
The IAC members chanted slogans demanding removal of these ministers, including newly elected President Pranab Mukherjee, from their respective posts.
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The rally was held at various parts of the city that included Senapati Bapat Road, Paud Road, Kothrud, Warje, Sinhagadh Road, Parvati Darshan, Swargate, Pune Cantonment and Hadapsar.
Down with corruption: Members of the Pune chapter of India Against Corruption (IAC) chant slogans and carry cut-outs to demand the removal of 14 ministers, including newly elected President Pranab Mukherjee.
Deekap Bharadia, Coordinator, IAC, said, “We are objecting to Pranab Mukherjee’s win. He has been elected as the supreme commander of three defense establishments, but he had serious charges of corruption levelled against him when he was a minister. We will also protest Mukherjee’s swearing-in ceremony on July 25 in the capital. It will be a nation-wide agitation by IAC members.”
“We seek an independent investigative agency instead of the CBI in conducting a probe against all the tainted ministers, and a fast track court for the speedy disposal of justice in all pending cases. Our agitation will not stop until these two demands are met by the government.”
IAC members are targeting 14 cabinet ministers namely Pranab Mukherjee, Sharad Pawar, P Chidambaram, S M Krishna, Kamal Nath, Praful Patel, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Virbhadra Singh, Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid, G K Vasan, Farooq Abdullah, M Alagiri and Sushil Kumar Shinde.
On July 25, IAC is planning to agitate at Balgandharva Rangamandir corner, which is situated on J M Road near Deccan Gymkhana. “We have been given conditional permission by the PMC and the police,” said Bharadia. According to him, over 100 activists would be going on hunger strike to put pressure on the government. A flash mob agitation has also been planned at Amanora Town Centre, Hadapsar in the evening to support Hazare’s agitation with Baba Ramdev.
Over 1,000 villagers from Anna Hazare’s native village will also participate in a day-long hunger strike in support the planned agitation by Hazare and Baba Ramdev at Delhi on July 25. “Residents of Ralegan Siddhi will not eat food for the entire day in support of Anna,” said Datta Awari, personal assistant to Hazare.
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