Anna back at Ramlila after 7 yrs
NEW DELHI: Social activist Anna Hazare returned to the Ramlila Maidan on Friday morning to launch a fresh anti-corruption agitation, seven years since the day he had left the venue after breaking his 12-day antigraft fast.
As the 80-year-old climbed on to the dais, he told a gathering of around 3,000 protesters that he will fast unto death until the government provides farmers a fair price for their products and sets up a Lokpal at the Centre and Lokayuktas at the state-level.
Except a make-shift dais where Hazare rested, the horde of photographers in front of him, chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai and hundreds of armed police officers standing guard, everything about Friday’s protest was different from that of the August 2011.
Hazare sat on the dais in the company of just one member of his 2011 India Against Corruption team —Justice (retired) Santosh Hedge. Taking a dig at his former team mates Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia and Kiran Bedi, who were with him in 2011, Hegde said, “Hamare team toot gayi. Koi ban gaya mantri, koi mukhya mantri, koi governor (Our team broke. Some became ministers, some chief minister and some governor).”
Unlike 2011, when most protesters came under the banner of India Against Corruption, this time there were many different groups — like Brothers from Assam, a group of around 300 protesters from Assam, Arunchal Pradesh and other parts of Northeastern states. Secretary general of the outfit, Dibyajyoti Saikia, said though their organisation fights against superstition and witch-hunting, they had come to Delhi to support Anna in his fight against corruption. Like them, many protesters on Friday were farmers, who had come from parts of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Punjab.
However, not everyone present in Ramlila on Friday was a farmer. National Capital Region home buyers, who had lost their money in buying flats that were never delivered to them also made up a substantial portion of the crowd. Dev Kalra, representing Jaypee homebuyers protesters group, said they had come to protest with the farmers, whose land were taken to build homes that were then never delivered to the home buyers.
There were some from a drug de-addiction group too. “Anna ji needs our support. We used to fight drugs but we will now fight corruption because he is alone. The politicians have deserted him,” said Jagge Lal, one of the members of the group.
Protesters spoke of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. “Will he come and meet his mentor Anna Hazare, will he be booed by the crowd?” asked hushed voices, as Hazare rested on the dais.