Advani begins 38-day Jan Chetna Yatra

Sitabdiara, Bihar - 11 Oct 2011 (PTI): Senior BJP leader Mr LK Advani today began his 38-day Jan Chetna Yatra from here to take on the UPA government on corruption and to press for repatriation of black money.

"I am formally launching my Jan Chetna Yatra against corruption and for bringing back black money stashed in foreign banks," Mr Advani said at a public meeting at Gandhi Maidan where his yatra was flagged off by chief minister Mr Nitish Kumar.

In a homage to Jayprakash Narayan, Mr Advani said the socialist had organised all non-Congress parties ~ save the Communists ~ together against the "corrupt" Congress government in the 1970s. Drawing a parallel between the circumstances prevailing then and now, Mr Advani said: "Corruption should end in this country. We need not just a change of leadership but also a change in the system.

"Today, people have lost faith in the potential that this country has. The biggest achievement of this yatra would be to restore that faith," he said.

Mr Advani said the inspiration for his yatra had come from the initiatives of Jayprakash Narayan. The 84-year old leader also emphasised that the yatra was aimed at seeking good governance and clean politics, as also addressing the issues of Lokpal and repatriation of black money stashed abroad.

"The key to the success of all past movements lay in creating awareness among the people," Mr Advani said. The yatra will go through 23 states and four Union Territories. Mr Advani, who is undertaking the sixth yatra of his career, will visit the North-east, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Jammu, Gujarat, the southern states as well as the poll-bound states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa. The rath-yatra will cover around 7,600 km and nearly 100 districts across the country.

Soon after his arrival from Patna by a chopper, Mr Advani, along with Mr Nitish Kumar, his deputy Mr SK Modi, Leaders of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Mr Sushma Swaraj and Mr Arun Jaitley, respectively, visited the ancestral house of Jayaprakash Narayan and garlanded his statue.

The senior leader said the 21st Century belonged to India and "we should take a pledge to ensure that the country emerges as one of the foremost nations in the world."

Advani also praised the Bihar Chief Minister, saying he had brought about a sea-change in the state since the NDA government came to power in 2005.
"I had requested him to flag-off the yatra only once and he readily agreed," Mr Advani said.

In his speech, Mr Kumar welcomed Mr Advani for choosing Jayprakash Narayan's birthplace and his birth anniversary for launching his yatra against corruption. He enumerated the various measures taken by his government to fight the menace. He recalled how JP movement had also started in Bihar and said nobody had then thought that the Congress would be voted out of power one day.

Extending support to Mr Advani's yatra, Mr Kumar said: "We don't make empty promises, we support them with deeds." Mrs Swaraj and Mr Jaitley were lauded by Mr Advani for taking on the UPA government effectively in Parliament.