Anna farce ends, politics begins
Discouraged by his deteriorating health and the lukewarm response that his protest has drawn, anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Wednesday called off his three-day fast on its second day, as well as the nationwide “jail bharo” agitation planned from Friday. Team Anna will now concentrate on an “awareness campaign” by touring the five election-bound states, he said, and will intensify its agitation ahead of the 2014 general election.
Team Anna members said Mr Hazare, who left for the government guesthouse where he is staying in Mumbai immediately after calling off his fast prematurely, will leave for his native village Ralegan Siddhi on Thursday morning.
“This is not democracy, it is dictatorship. Corrup-tion, hooliganism and blatant looting still prevail after Independence. I’m calling off my fast, but we will tour the five poll-bound states as well as the nation later for the 2014 national elections,” Mr Hazare said on Wednesday, adding: “We will create awareness amongst the people and ask them not to vote for those who have betrayed the nation.”
Running a temperature of 100ºF on the second day of his fast, Mr Hazare said he would nevertheless continue with his agitation. “What we are seeing today in Parliament is tragic. Parliamentarians themselves are unsure about the Jan Lokpal Bill. There are still two years left for the national elections, and we will wake the nation up before that,” he said.
India today was a poor country, Mr Hazare pointed out. “The country that was once remembered as the golden bird is now unable to even pay its debts,” he said. The turnout at the MMRDA Ground increased marginally on the second day; the crowd stood and cheered as Mr Hazare came on to the stage. At a press conference that followed, Mr Hazare faced certain sharp questions. When asked about the low turnout, he said: “This is not right. I don’t have money and power. Is the crowd in front of us less? One day you will definitely see how the public will react.” Mr Hazare soon walked out of the press conference due to his poor health.
When asked if Team Anna was targeting Congress and if it would also protest against the other parties opposing the Lokpal, Mr Hazare said: “I don’t think there is any need to oppose the other parties.”
For most of the day, Mr Hazare stayed in an anteroom due to his deteriorating health. At around 6.45 pm, he ended his fast, with Pratiksha Khandale, a child from Ralegan Siddhi, giving him lemonade. He appealed to people fasting along with him across the country to break their fast too.
Post new comment