AIZAWL: The storm raised by Anna Hazare and his supporters at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi is now sweeping far off Mizoram.
After two rallies in Aizawl and a meeting to express solidarity with Anna's " India Against Corruption" movement, 11 anti-corruption groups in Mizoram, united under the aegis of "Mizoram Against Corruption", formed a core group of conveners to chalk out the future course of action.
Vanlalruata, the president of People's Right to Information and Development Implementing Society of Mizoram (PRISM), said the conveners included SL Sailova, a former IAS officer and president of Society for Social Action (SOSA), veteran anti-corruption activist Bualhranga, former IPS officer F Lalremsiama and Prof. Lianzela of Mizoram University.
"We would visit different districts of the state to create mass awareness on the necessity of anti-corruption movement, Jan Lokpal and Lokayukta and also about Hazare's movement," added Vanlalruata. He said if Hazare's movement culminates into a legislation of Jan Lokpal by Parliament, Mizoram Against Corruption would be prepared to carry forward the movement for Lokayukta in the state. F Lalremsiama also echoed his views. He said the claims made by the state government that the State Anti-corruption Bureau (ACB) was revamped and now headed by a police officer in the rank of an IGP and that there was no need for an independent investigating agency was an eyewash.
"The ACB had done a good job in investigating corruption cases in the past, but there hardly was any conviction of offenders as the ACB could be and usually was overruled by the government," he added. Sailova said as long as the chief minister is the vigilance minister and the state chief secretary the chief vigilance officer having complete control over ACB, there could never be justice.