"I am formally launching my Jan Chetna Yatra against corruption and for bringing back black money stashed away abroad," Advani said at a public meeting at Gandhi Maidan, the starting point of the yatra which was flagged off by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Advani praised veteran socialist Jayprakash Narayan, saying he had brought along all non-Congress parties- other than the Communists- together against the "corrupt" Congress government in the 1970s. Drawing a parallel between the circumstances prevailing then and now, Advani said, "Corruption should end in this country. There should not just be a change of leadership but also a change in the system. "People today have lost faith in the potential that this country has. The biggest achievement of this yatra would be to restore that belief," he said. Advani said the inspiration for this yatra had come from the work carried out by Jayprakash Narayan.
The 84-year old leader also emphasised that the yatra is aimed at good governance and clean politics, as also the issues of Lokpal and for bringing back black money stashed away abroad.
"The success of all the past movements have been in creating awareness among the people," Advani said, adding both the freedom struggle and Jayprakash movement had a similar aim of educating the people about the atrocities of the British and the corruption in Congress regime respectively.
The yatra will go through 23 states and four union territories. Advani, who is undertaking his sixth yatra, will visit the North-East, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu, Gujarat, the southern states as well as the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa.