Dear friends,
The government is forging ahead with their toothless “Joke-Pal” bill, even as a wave of politicians criticise it as ineffective and public mobilisations explode across the country.
In 6 days, Anna Hazare will begin his fast for a strong Lokpal, and he has asked every Indian to join the protest. He knows that if we stand together now we can win, just as we’ve done before.
But to seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance to achieve real change for our communities and our children, all of us will need to go the extra mile and take to the streets. Right now we are hundreds of thousands in this movement and if we all invite our friends and families to join us we will be millions — enough to force the government to rethink and support a strong Lokpal. Sign up to find out about events near you or plan your own event:
On August 16, veteran Gandhian Anna Hazare will start his fast demanding Parliament pass a strong Lokpal — and already thousands have committed to join him. Rising to his call for action, everyday citizens across the country will host candle-lit vigils, relay hunger strikes, bike rallies and marches in their parks and on their street corners. Together, these events, no matter how big or small, will show that our whole country is clamouring for a strong Lokpal to root out corruption once and for all.
Last April, 6,50,000 of us stood with Anna Hazare when he fasted and together we forced the government to the negotiating table. Now we have an opportunity to stand together again and ensure the government does not ignore our demands. Let’s each take to the streets and show the politicians that this movement is vast and will not be ignored. It depends on all of us — only if we are millions will we be able to turn the tide and force through a strong Lokpal..
Clicking the link below will show you all the events in your area. Plus, hosting an event is simple and fast with this online tool — it only takes 5 minutes to create an event and invite friends and family. It will even create a personal event webpage to share with friends! In times of historic mobilisation and change, it is the ability of people to self-organise everywhere that makes the crucial difference. This tool does exactly that — it is simple, but if we all sign up it will be incredibly powerful. Sign up now and share the tool widely:
Many of us have never hosted a political event or attended a rally, but now is a special time. It calls on each of us to step outside our comfort zone to do all we can to help India root out corruption for good — creating a fairer, more prosperous life for each of us.
With hope and determination,
Ricken, Alice, Shibayan and the whole Avaaz team
