New Delhi: Gandhian Anna Hazare on Friday announced a `jail bharo` movement across the country on April 13 after the government rejected his demands of chairmanship of the joint drafting committee being given to a civil society member and for a formal notification.
Giving the call, Hazare asked people to stick to non-violence during the agitation. After first announcing April 12 as the date for the agitation, he later changed it April 13 citing holiday on the earlier date.
"Today when (minister Kapil) Sibal and these people are saying this, I felt that the jail bharo agitation should take place in the entire country. But you should participate in the agitation keeping in mind Mahatma Gandhi. There should be no violence anywhere," Hazare said.
He recalled that he had organised similar jail bharo movements in Maharashtra in the past.
His announcement came after a meeting of HRD Minister Kapil Sibal with activists Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal scheduled this morning did not take place with both sides saying they were waiting for each other.
Rejecting the two demands of the social activists, Sibal also said that only government officials will be members of the joint drafting committee on Lokpal Bill and that no minister will be part of it, if they insist on the chairman being from the civil society.
"There is no possibility of an official notification on the constitution of the joint committee but we have told them that we are willing to give an official letter through the law ministry and a press note," he said.