Anna Hazare Threatens Hunger Strike over Lokpal Implementation

 Mumbai: Citing delay in the implementation of Lokpal Law in Maharashtra, veteran social activist Anna Hazare has once again threatened to go on a hunger strike demanding immediate implementation of the said Act. He said that the Act passed in 2022 remains unimplemented even after two years.

In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Hazare said he would begin an indefinite fast demanding enforcement of the Lokayukta Act, on January 30. He plans to start the protest at the Yadav Baba temple in Ralegan Siddhi, his native village.

The Maharashtra government passed the Lokayukta Bill in the Legislative Assembly on 28 December 2022 and in the Legislative Council on 15 December 2023. However, Hazare said the law remains unimplemented even after two years.

The government does not appear willing to act. The situation had reached a point where a hunger strike was necessary, the activist said in the letter.

Hazare previously led a nationwide movement for the Lokayukta Act in 2011, rallying people across the country under the banner of a corruption-free India.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed the Lokpal Bill, 2025, introducing key amendments to remove long-standing ambiguities over the jurisdiction of anti-corruption bodies operating in the state. Once implemented, the revised Act will bring the Chief Minister under its ambit, Fadnavis said.

Hazare has also opposed the proposed tree felling in Tapovan, Nashik, for the upcoming Kumbh Mela. He said trees sustain both humans and wildlife, and while the religious gathering serves a larger public purpose, the cutting of trees should be avoided. If removal is unavoidable, only small trees should be felled, he said, urging authorities not to cut mature trees.