Hitting out at the Government on the “useless” Lokpal Bill, Anna Hazare has challenged Congress chief Sonia Gandhi to a public debate on it to convince people that the proposed legislation is strong.

Mr Hazare said the new Bill is of no use if the anti-corruption ombudsman does not have control over CBI and the lower bureaucracy is not brought under its direct control.

“Sonia Gandhi says the bill is strong. If it is so, let she come out and debate with us in front of media. Let people see it. Convince the people of the country that it is strong. We will explain how it is not strong,” he told reporters here.

“What is right and wrong with the bill, let us debate in public,” he said as government prepared to introduce the bill in Lok Sabha.

Mr Hazare’s remarks came as a response to Ms Gandhi’s speech at Congress Parliamentary Party meeting yesterday during which she said the proposed legislation was strong and she was ready for a fight for it.

Continuing his attack on the government, Mr Hazare said that he will go ahead with his three-day fast from December 27 and then ‘jail bharo’ agitation against the “weak” bill which will not help the poor in their fight against corruption.

“I will be part of the group that will ‘gherao’ the residences of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as part of our jail filling agitation,” he said.

He said putting CBI out of Lokpal shows how the bill will be “useless“.

“The biggest victims of corruption are the poor who have to pay bribes to get any work done. How will the common man live like this? Out demand is that lower bureaucracy be brought under Lokpal,” he said.

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