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Sitab Diara
(Bihar): The 'Jan Chetna' road campaign was aimed at
increasing awareness about corruption and instilling confidence in
a "brighter India", Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K.
Advani said Tuesday, adding that he had found inspiration in
legendary socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan.
"We want to remove despair and frustration among the common people
and create confidence in them about about a brighter India,"
Advani said at a public meeting in Sitab Diara, the birthplace of
Jayaprakash Narayan, known as JP to all.
Advani, 83, formally launches his Jan Chetna Yatra from Chapra
town, 70 km away. His sixth road campaign takes him to 23 states
and four union territories in 38 days.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and senior BJP leaders,
including Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Anant Kumar, were
present at the meeting.
"I was inspired by Jayaprakash Narayan to began a 12,000 km
cross-country 'Jan Chetna' campaign to raise awareness against
corruption because people are fed up," Advani said, recalling that
JP's contribution to the movement against corruption and Emergency
in the 1970s.
"My campaign will help bring black money to the country from
abroad" Advani said.
Targeting the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
central government, he said: "People's faith in democracy and
governance is eroding fast due to rampant corruption in the
country during the UPA government."
He said time had come not just to change the government but bring
in a system for good governance and a corruption free country.
If the 20th century belonged to the western countries, Advani
said, the 21st century would belong to India.
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will give leadership for
the progress of the country in the 21st century as it did in Bihar
in the past six years, he added.
Key NDA ally and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said it was an
honour for Sitab Diara to be selected for the start of Advani's
campaign.
The Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief said Advani had been always at
the forefront of the fight against corruption.
Advani had landed in Sitab Diara, about 150 km from the state
capital Patna, in a helicopter. The leaders garlanded a statue of
Jayaprakash Narayan, known as JP, and visited his home in Lala
Tola.
The plan was to flag off the yatra from Sitab Diara but the venue
was moved to Chapra in view of the bad road condition and
waterlogging.
The 12,000 km public awareness campaign will see Advani cover
about 300 km a day in his special rath or modified bus.
"I have always received support from my two families - personal
family and the ideological family," he told reporters at his New
Delhi residence before leaving.
"That has kept me fine in body and mind," he added.
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