Hazare firm on hunger strike at his village from Oct 2

Saying that the BJP-led government at the Centre came to power because of the Lokpal agitation, social activist Anna Hazare has said he is firm on his decision to launch a hunger strike from October 2 for the appointment of anti-corruption ombudsman.

Hazare wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday, alleging that in the last four years the government kept dilly-dallying and did not appoint Lokpal and Lokayukta.

"On August 16, 2011, the entire country took to the streets for appointment of Lokpal and Lokayukta...Your government came to power because of that agitation," Hazare wrote.

"Gratefulness is our culture. You (government) should have been grateful towards people and given priority to their demand," Hazare, who launched an indefinite fast over the issue in Delhi in 2011, said.

"Four years have passed but the government is avoiding appointment of Lokpal and Lokayukta on one or the other pretext," he said.

He also alleged that the Prime Minister did not fulfil the "written assurances" given to him when he ended his recent hunger strike on the issue at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan in March this year.

Hazare had earlier announced that he would sit on fast at Ralegan Siddhi from October 2, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

He also said in the letter that the BJP-led government at the Centre had promised to look into his demand of grant of autonomy to the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) but it did nothing.

The CACP determines minimum support prices of various agricultural commodities.

Hazare told PTI Friday that farmers are not getting adequate price for their produce which is leading to farmer suicides.

"The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices is controlled by the Agriculture Department and hence the prices of farm produce are low. We had requested many times that it should be given autonomy, like in the case of Election Commission," he said.