Anna calls off protests, cancels jail bharo agitation

Mangalore Today /ITV

Mumbai, Dec 28 :  Poor crowds and failing health today forced Anna Hazare to end his three-day fast ahead of schedule as he also announced calling off all other agitation plans, including a jail bharo protest and gherao of MPs’ residence.

The 74-year-old activist made the surprise announcement midway through his three-day fast at MMRDA grounds which reported poor attendance of people for the second continuous day, in stark contrast to the mass swelling in Delhi earlier this year during his three fasts

 

 

"...Whatever we are seeing today in Parliament is tragic. So I have decided to call off the fast today. There is only one way now. We will make a programme in the five states and go and awaken people there. I will tell them don’t vote for traitors," he told a sparsely attended protest meeting in the afternoon.

"Now two years are left for the general elections. In between, I will go to various parts of the country and keep awakening the people till next general elections," he said. Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said, "everything (all agitations) has been called off."

Hazare, who was running fever and was advised by doctors to call off fast, and Team Anna members faced a volley of uncomfortable questions about the poor crowd response for last two days and what is perceived as their attempt to target Congress and Sonia and Rahul Gandhi on the Lokpal issue.

After his announcement that he and his team will campaign against Congress in the five poll-bound states early next year and later in the general elections, he was asked whether Congress was sought to be made a villain and whether the strategy adopted by them was not wrong.

Hazare said they had no reasons to oppose other parties.

"In the last five months, it was the UPA government has betrayed us. They were betraying us again and again in the past one year," Hazare said.

One reporter asked whether he will campaign against BJP which betrayed the Hazare campaign in Lok Sabha yesterday and whether Team Anna was not following a wrong strategy, Hazare said, "Congress has cheated them the maximum."

Hazare abruptly quit the dais, leaving Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia to field searching questions from the media which was heckled by the crowds that had gathered there. Addressing the gathering, Hazare said he was deferring the jail bharo agitation indefinitely as it would not be proper now to go ahead with the plans.

He said they will go ahead with a voters’ awareness programme in the five poll-bound states. Asked by a reporter whether he had to call off the fast because of poor crowds and why he was not able to attract people in large numbers, Hazare said, "this is not correct. I don’t have power or wealth. Still people are coming in big numbers and you will see them again when we do campaign during elections."

To a question whether Hazare and his team would stage outside BJP MPs’ houses as they did not support their demand for strengthening CBI, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said the jail bharo agitation and dharna have been called off.

About the poor crowds in Mumbai, Kejriwal said it takes time to warm up people. Yesterday was only the first day and today’s response has been impressive, he said. Even in Jantar Mantar in Delhi, first two days, people were slow in coming, he said adding false impression has been created about the agitation in Mumbai.

Kejriwal said he does not know the programme of Hazare and he would probably be going to Ralegan Siddhi.

Anna calls off protests, to campaign against Cong. Mumbai, Dec 28 (PTI) Poor crowds and failing health today forced Anna Hazare to end his three-day fast ahead of schedule as he also announced calling off all other agitation plans, including a jail bharo protest and gherao of MPs’ residence.

The 74-year-old activist made the surprise announcement midway through his three-day fast at MMRDA grounds which reported poor attendance of people for the second continuous day, in stark contrast to the mass swelling in Delhi earlier this year during his three fasts.

"...Whatever we are seeing today in Parliament is tragic. So I have decided to call off the fast today. There is only one way now. We will make a programme in the five states and go and awaken people there. I will tell them don’t vote for traitors," he told a sparsely attended protest meeting in the afternoon.

"Now two years are left for the general elections. In between, I will go to various parts of the country and keep awakening the people till next general elections," he said. Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal said, "everything (all agitations) has been called off."

The activist had earlier announced that he will come to Delhi on December 30 and sit on a dharna outside Sonia and Rahul Gandhi’s residence to protest against the "weak" Lokpal followed byjail bharo agitation across the country.

Hazare, who was running fever and was advised by doctors to call off fast, and Team Anna members faced a volley of uncomfortable questions about the poor crowd response for last two days and what is perceived as their attempt to target Congress and Sonia and Rahul on the Lokpal issue.

After his announcement that he and his team will campaign against Congress in the five poll-bound states early next year and later in the general elections, he was asked whether Congress was sought to be made a villain and whether the strategy adopted by them was not wrong. Hazare said they had no reasons to oppose other parties.