Hazare to start Maharashtra tour for Lokayukta bill

Ralegan-Siddhi (Maharashtra), April 30 (IANS) Social activist Anna Hazare is all set to launch his five-week long tour of Maharashtra from Tuesday to create awareness for a strong Lokayukta bill, an aide has said.

This will be his first major tour after the December 2011 agitation in Mumbai which failed to evoke much response. Anna will be visiting Mumbai June 2 as part of his state tour. He will also visit New Delhi June 3 to take part in an agitation by yoga guru Baba Ramdev at Jantar Mantar in the capital.

Hazare, 74, will kick-start the tour Monday morning from his home district Ahmednagar with meetings in Rahata village and proceed to neighbouring Aurangabad the next day.

He is expected to drive down to each district and spend a day, interacting with the people, speaking about the need for a strong Lokayukta bill, corruption and related issues, the aide said Monday.

After the December 2011 Mumbai protests, he was indisposed for varying periods and spent some days recuperating in a Pune hospital.

Hazare will visit Jalna, Beed, Osmanabad, Latur, Parbhani, Nanded, Hingoli, Washim, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Bhandara, Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Akola, Buldhana, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, Nashik, Pune, Solapur, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad and Mumbai.

From Mumbai, Hazare will take a short break June 3 to go to New Delhi for participating in the anti-corruption agitation called by yoga guru Baba Ramdev at Jantar Mantar.

Thereafter, Hazare will return and complete the last leg of the tour - Thane and Navi Mumbai - June 4 and 5.