New Delhi, Aug 27: BJP MP Varun Gandhi today lauded Anna Hazare for his 'democratic' movement against corruption.
"It sits very heavily on my conscience that while we sit here and debate, a 74-year-old man is sitting quietly battling life and death", said Varun while taking part in the debate on Lokpal in Lok Sabha.
"The issue is not whether Jan Lokpal or Lokpal, because bills are not always perfect pieces of legislation, but one thing is sure: this movement has changed all of us for the better", said Varun.
"All of us in this country were passive observers and many considered themselves fence-sitters. This movement has convinced the entire youth of the country that they can become agents of change, they can stand and be counted. This entire day is a testimony to the fact", Varun said.
The BJP MP from Pilibhit said, "a manufactured divide is sought to be brought about here between Parliament and the people we represent. This is a very dangerous precedent. In colonial times, State was sovereign, but after independence, the people became sovereign. A churning has taken place. It's no more a silent revolution."
"Today the nation looks to solutions, not semantics as answers. Here we have been talking about protecting the privileges of Parliament. What about protecting the privileges of the people?", asked Varun.
"We should not look at corruption in abstract terms. Large parts of Bihar and UP are now ravaged by floods, and the affected people will only get cheques of mere Rs 1,000. It's only because that we don't have money in the Consolidated Fund of India. The entire health, education and infrastructure sectors are lagging behind because we don't have money", said Varun Gandhi.
"The system is breaking because it has failed us. What Anna is asking for is an independent ombudsman. Why should we assume that he would gobble us? Is that presupposition of guilt?", asked Varun.
"Why are young people on the streets today? Corruption affects our standing in the world. Corruption affects your self-esteem if you have to pay bribes for jobs, admission and other things. Anna's movement was spontaneous and BJP is proud to be associated with the movement", said Varun.
"We stand behind Anna, we stand with Anna and in assault of his liberty, we will stand in front to protect him", said the BJP MP.
