Nagpur, Aug 11: Maharashtra NCP president R R Patil has said anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare and Maharashtra Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Suresh Jain should give up their fast-unto-death agitation launched over corruption charges levelled against each other. "Jain and Hazare should accept Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's assurance of a probe by a retired high court judge," Patil, also the state Minister for Rural Development, told reporters here last night.
Jain and Hazare started the agitation on August 9 at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.
Hazare, who has sought action against four NCP ministers, including Jain, for charges of corruption, has demanded a CBI probe into his allegations against the ministers and also into charges levelled against him by Jain. With his fast-unto-death to restore "self respect", Jain is demanding investigations into charges of corruption levelled by him against Hazare while running public trusts headed by the social worker.
Clarifying that Jain, an NCP minister, had not sought any permission from the state unit, Patil said, "He (Jain) felt his self-respect has been hurt by allegations of corruption and hence resorted to fast in Mumbai."
Patil disagreed that reputation of his party was being damaged due to corruption charges against NCP ministers in DF government in the state. Bureau Report