Ralegan-Siddhi (Maharashtra), July 5 : Social activist Anna Hazare on Thursday reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "unfulfilled promises" and warned that if these were not implemented by October 2, he would resort to a fresh agitation.
Hazare said in the past four years he had written several times to Modi but did not receive an acknowledgement.
In his latest directive to Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh, he listed seven major unfulfilled or partly fulfilled promises made by the Centre after his week-long hunger strike in New Delhi in March.
While conceding that the main issue of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farm produce has been accepted, he said that owing to the interference by the Central Agriculture Department, the recommendations sent by the State Agriculture Prices Commission were slashed.
Demanding the implementation of promised "autonomy" for the Agricultural Prices Commission, Hazare said this would ensure that farmers get the MSP based on the actual cost of cultivation.
Dwelling on the assurances of electoral reforms, he referred to the proposals of treating a candidate's photograph as his/her election symbol, the Right to Reject and if the votes in None of the Above (NOTA) were higher than the number of candidates, then re-elections, candidates securing less votes be debarred from contesting elections in future, and Right To Recall, which the government promised to forward to the Election Commission.
The next was the government's assurance that farmers aged over 60 years of age would be given a pension of Rs 5,000 per month, for which a committee would be constituted and its recommendations would be implemented, Hazare said.
He listed the long-pending promise on the appointments of Lokpal and Lokayukta for which a Selection Committee meeting headed by Modi was held on March 1 and after discussing the criterias, it decided to meet soon.
"Even the Supreme Court had reprimanded the government on the appointment of Lokpal, Lokayukta, which bodes ill for the government's image, and now the apex court has again directed it to file an affidavit in 10 days. If the government does not abide by these directives, it's a contempt of the Supreme Court," Hazare said.
He also called for immediate consultations on the amendment of Section 63 and Section 44 that weakens the Lokpal, which the government had assured would be done.
"After breaking my fast, I have sent two reminders on all these assurances and the action taken to fulfil them, this is the third reminder. If these are not implemented by October 2, I shall be compelled to start an agitation in my village," Hazare declared.
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Pune, Feb 10 (PTI): Amidst high drama, former Maharashtra minister Tanaji Sawant’s son Rishiraj was brought back to Pune along with two friends on late Monday evening, cutting short their trip to Bangkok, hours after police filed a kidnapping case, officials said.
According to Ranjan Kumar Sharma, joint commissioner of police, Rishiraj Sawant (32) and his two friends had booked a chartered plane for Bangkok without informing his family, but an anonymous phone call spoilt their travel plans.
After police registered a kidnapping case following the anonymous call made to the control room, his whereabouts were traced and he was brought back to Pune along with his friends, he said at a hurriedly convened press conference.
"Our police control room received a call around 4 pm in which an anonymous caller informed us that Rishiraj was taken away by some unidentified people. Accordingly, we swung into action and registered a kidnapping offence.
"During the probe, it was revealed Rishiraj along with his two friends had booked a chartered plane for Bangkok. We tracked the flight and contacted the airline for the aircraft's return. The flight has now returned to Pune with three passengers, including Rishiraj," informed Sharma.
"We will enquire and find out the purpose of his trip to Bangkok and why he did not inform the family about his travel plans," the police officer said.
While replying to a question, Tanaji Sawant, who was present at the police briefing, denied any dispute with his son.
According to police sources, the flight to the Thailand capital was booked for Rs 78 lakh.
The former minister said he contacted police after coming to know his son had left for the airport with friends without informing the family.
A week ago, Rishiraj Sawant had gone to Dubai, but this trip was known to family members, said the senior politician.
Asked about the police machinery going into an overdrive to trace his son and bring him back, the former minister maintained was worried as a father.
Joint commissioner of police Sharma said the anonymous call indicated Rishiraj Sawant was taken away by unidentified people and on that basis, an FIR of kidnapping was registered.
The IPS officer opined that in such cases, things do not proceed unless an FIR is registered and that is why police moved quickly and filed an offence.